Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Turkey's 'Standing Man' receives German human rights award
Back in June, Hugh posted some amazing pictures from Turkey of the Standing Protests in Turkey, a peaceful protest begun by Erdem Gündüz, a 34-year-old dancer and choreographer during the height of the Gezi protests in Istanbul. Gündüz became widely known after standing motionless and staring for hours in Istanbul’s Taksim area on June 18, challenging the riot police who had brutally quelled any expression of dissent until that date.
His one man protest came a day after Gezi Park, where protesters had camped in tents, had been forcibly evacuated with a major police crackdown on the whole Taksim Square area, at the heart of Istanbul’s entertainment district. Following his one-man resistance, many people were inspired by him to go to Taksim Square to stand motionless in similar acts of civil disobedience.
This looks like a picture of him from the set that Hugh posted and explains the caption 'first man started'
Erdem has now been awarded the M100 Media Award by the International Potsdam Media Forum, an award which is granted to people who show a “courageous commitment to freedom of expression and human rights.”
“With his silent protest, he became the icon of peaceful resistance and has been emulated around the world,” said the jury, which selected Gündüz for the prize on Aug. 28.
“His weapon is creativity, his trademarks are courage and perseverance. That is what you need to promote free speech and human rights,” Potsdam Mayor and M100 chair Jann Jakobs said.
From a story in Hurriyetdailynews
Tags for Forum Posts: Turkey, human rights, standing protests
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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It's an interesting comparison and there is no doubt that that protester was astonishingly brave. The clip is amazing because no matter which way the tank went so did he.
I think this protest in Turkey is different because unlike China where the movement collapsed, he inspired other people to do the same, as we see from Hugh's original post.
I find the pictures very moving, especially in the light of some of the Turkish history that I'm reading at the moment regarding the establishment of the Turkish state.
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I agree, I think they are both pretty moving- and that was the parallel I saw when I saw your image at first, the ultimate success of the protest did not really factor. I heard that the Chinese protester was subsequently killed- I have no idea if this is true or not.
I wonder if I were called to stand up for anything if I would be as brave...
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Osbawn, me dear, all footballing references are wasted on me unless they refer to the late 70s Ipswich Town squad.
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Permalink Reply by james walsh on
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Had to stand on the W7 bus for ages. Can i have my award please
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For being alone in facing repressive regimes and overly polite queuing, I award you a Greggs meat pie. Collect from Crouch End Broadway at your leisure.
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I'd like to thank my parents (tears welling up)... .. .
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