People's Assemblies springing up across Turkey (Updated)

[starroute]

1. Here's a link to Oscar's own blog

http://spanishrevolution11.wordpress.com/

He's a first-rate writer -- especially considering English is not his first language -- and excellent at evoking the spirit of a time and place. I followed his blog for a while last year when he was part of a group walking from Spain to Greece, but I'd only recently rediscovered the link. Here are a few paragraphs from his latest entry:

There is a sense of euphoria in the air, the happiness people experience when the artificial walls of society are being torn down. We are all one. And it’s true what they say. After Gezi, nothing will ever be the same.

The assembly abruptly ends when the sprinklers go on. People run for cover, they giggle and reunite in small groups to discuss their organization, their coverage, their goals and demands.

We head home. At the bull statue in central Kadıköy we experience another of those beautiful emotional moments that characterise revolutionary times. A dozen people are standing silently in protest, some holding Turkish flags, some holding images of Atatürk, some simply reading a book. People from the neighbourhood bring them supplies. Someone lifts a bottle of water to their lips. Passers by are applauding, cars are honking. This is happening all through the country. At the moment, hundreds of people are standing in Taksim.