Gezi Park Protests Are Not Like Wall Street

In September 2011, protesters debouched into the center of Wall Street, the heart of global capitalism. They occupied the famous Zuccotti Park for two months. Neither the news channels on television nor the mainstream newspapers were solicitous about the movement and demonstrators. Meanwhile, the movement rambled over the social networks in waves. They called themselves the Occupy Wall Street movement.

What Did They Want?

The protesters in Zuccotti Park rose against unfair distribution of national income, financial greed and enslavement, tutelage of big companies over politics, underutilization of tax revenues, human-caused environmental damage and wars. These protestors had perceptible causes. They had a declaration in written documents. They conglomerated around the slogan, “We are the 99 percent. We revolt against the 1 percent.” They remained stubbornly against the despotism of minority over majority. The first day of the protests in Gezi Park was reminiscent of OWS in Zuccotti Park because of its strong iterations of opposition — for Gezi Park protestors, the opposition was to the demolition of the trees in the park. But due to the disproportionate use of force by the police, Gezi Park protests soon found themselves no longer on the path of the OWS movement. OWS was a pacifistic and non-violent movement from its onset to its end. The protesters did not taunt or scoff at those of whom they did not approve. Come hell or high water, the spirit of OWS was against violence. Nevertheless, New York Police Department officers used excessive force against protesters and many activists were injured. During the process, more than 1000 activists who displayed passive resistance were taken into custody. Tear gas was fired. Shelter tents of the occupiers were removed by the NYPD. The protesters were not allowed to continue holding their placards in Zuccotti Park. The movement eventually lost its place in time, but it had at least been successful in dispensing with aggression and remained standing where it had commenced. The movement in Taksim Gezi Park, on the other hand, took yet another turn. Violence begot violence, and the movement, which had started with the idea of protecting the trees, found itself in the center of aggression. Illegal groups got involved in the continuum, and the picture changed completely, to the detriment of Turkey.

The Cost of Protests

The OWS movement did not leave a serious and costly burden on the back of the United States. The New York Stock Exchange was not affected. Cities and government vehicles were not damaged. In contrast, the visible cost of demonstrations that began in Gezi Park is estimated to be over $1 billion. Financial damage continues to pile up after stock market prices fell sharply during the early hours of the first day, and the protests are hitting the tourism industry hard, with cancellations affecting the entire sector. What is more, there is an unpredictable amount of security expense and wreckage in urban areas. Turkey’s economy is losing too much because of this movement.