I don´t know Turkey´s politics well enough to comment here, but I have to say that Erdoğan´s remark about Twitter makes him sound completely out of touch. It reminds me of remarks made by Mubarak early in the tumult in Egypt. I am not saying that this is anything like Egypt, but a message is certainly being sent, predominantly by the young, it seems. There is a new generation rising, and perhaps Mr. Erdoğan hasn´t kept up. He may find that is his undoing. ... I am reading a biography of Atatürk right now, and it is striking to me that it is nearly always the young who drive momentous change. 

First official death

A Socialist Solidarity Platform (SODAP) member has been hit and killed after a car driver ignored warnings to stop for protesters organizing a Gezi Park solidarity demonstration in Ümraniye’s 1 Mayıs neighborhood, the Turkish Doctors’ Union (TTB) said today.

The victim, 20-year-old Mehmet Ayvalıtaş, is the first confirmed death in protests that have engulfed the entire country.

A statement released by TTB accused the government of conducting a provocative agenda, citing several remarks of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan which claimed he was “barely holding back the 50 percent” of the country that voted for him from coming onto the street. 

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http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/first-official-death-recorded-in-gezi-park-protests-turkish-doctors-union.aspx?pageID=238&nID=48106&NewsCatID=341

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I think AKP should get rid of Erdogan.. 

20-year-old Mehmet Ayvalıtaş.

20 years old, what did he do to deserve death but to stand up for what he beleived in.

Too young to die and yet there are old relics who are still alive and have power for what?  To cut down a friggin park and build a shopping center and this is the drop that overflowed the collective cup.

Listen to your people Erdoğan, they are screaming to be heard and yet you turn a deaf ear.

That will be your downfall and hopefully no other young people will have to die for your stubborn deafness.

I am so sad for him. Another citizen with his car killed him. That is the result of hatred some people feeds. We should stop blaming each other and stop this violence. Yunus Emre, Rumi, Hacı Bayram Veli and many great Muslims didn´t blame anyone and they loved everybody as a brother or sister. We should act like them. As Yunus Emre said, we should say " Yaratılanı severim yaratadan ötürü". We can translate it like this "I love all creatures because God created them"

Sad accident...

I think that after next elections, Gezi park may be already gone. Laws can be then changed in this way or another, but in the meantime, people may suffer from them - and the same people, under another conditions, in another time or place, wouldn´t have to accept them and apologize for not following them.

(I have to agree, similar laws could be invented by me as well...)

If someone disagrees with me and tries to stop me from doing something, I´m quite often very annoyed (far too much than I should in my opinion) but I don´t routinely beat them up. It seems that often institutional power does not know any other way to solve its problems with "these people whom we have to tell what is right and what is wrong".

I don´t want to comment on Turkish politics, as a foreigner, what do I really know about it? ...but I do hope for the best for the Turkish people.

This situation is horrible for all involved. It has to be hurting business, and through that, people´s personal economics. I would not want to be going there now if there were other options. Who wants to breath teargas or pepper spray? As things sprayed into the air spread through other areas, it would be very unhealthy for anyone without strong lungs. Then too, it can´t be good for healthy lungs either. 

We are all brothers, sisters, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers....It breaks my heart to see this...

Oğlan

i am supporting to save that park and all its trees in taksim. i am against the municipality of istanbul to build shopping center whereever they pleases ignoring the public opinion.

but at the moment protests evolved into something else noone can describe. people with thick sticks and heavy stones destroying state propery and police cars, trying to kill policemen. some people came with empty beer bottles as if it was banned. some people showing apo posters (abdullah ocalan, leader of pkk terrorist org. ) there are many other strange things going on which i will never support.

we wait and see what will happen...

This is exactly what I have been fearing, the agent provocateurs are quick to jump on an opportunity to twist things to their advantage. I think many really believe, passionately, in their cause, but as I´ve learned in life, there are many facets to issues, not unlike well cut diamonds.

I am worried about the role of the social media in these events. My Turkish friend´s Facebook account has gone wild. Many issues are opened with the words "please share this material because the official media is quiet about this". What do they mean? Turkey is not closed in any way, correspondents of respectable newspapers are there, and the events are well analysed. Everyone is a journalist these days. This gives too much power to circles who don´t want the situation to be settled down peacefully.

Besides, FB may give the wrong idea of democracy to people who are not used to political activity. Thousands of people pressing the same "like" button looks great but are these people ready to act in political parties in an organized way and reach those millions who live in another kind of reality? In the next elections the scattered opposition may end up still fingering their smartphones while the same old come and pick the fruit again. And then? Back to the streets?

How does one try to kill a trained profesional who wears a crash helmet and bullet proof vest; who carrıes a shield in one hand, a gun in his belt and a tear (or pepper) gas dispenser in his other hand ?

Empty beer cans will not be enough. Did demonstrators have attack rifles ?

Photo of a ferocious protestor, attacking 5 poor policemen simultaneously