@anlari,
Thanks. Are you Turkish/in Turkey (I mean, I assumed from the moment you started talking that you were, but just to make sure)?

I am Turkish Cypriot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_cypriot) but I am currently studying in the UK.

Some blogs for those who would like to read more:

http://celulozaiproteiny.tumblr.com/post/51921065857

https://medium.com/distilled-friends/4f0272aa47a3

https://medium.com/distilled-friends/85c956c1a8e2

http://www.whatishappeninginistanbul.com/

http://cloudpage.co/gezi

and here is a nice video to top it off

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWs3_2EqRJk

Keep it coming.

So again, what's the ultimate goal here? A coup is impossible, a revolution is impossible, an opposition win in new elections is basically impossible (and the CHP doesn't have huge support in these protests anyhow), so what's gonna happen? Protests can only last so long before they whither on their own, what's the plan for change? I mean, it's obvious that the bloom is off Erdogan's rose, but if the protesters don't present a viable alternative then they'll become irrelevancies just like Occupy.

@Invictus,

Not necessarily. The voice of the protestors could still be a powerful warning sign to the government that conversation with opposition will have to be a necessary element in future politics. I'm not saying that will lead to any structural change, but it could soften some of the government's future policies.

Why is a revolution impossible? I would say it is somewhat unlikely, and the protests need to go much further to reach the stage where it is conceivable, but revolutionis not impossible.

An unsuccessful protest is one you've never heard about. Once the word of that protest reaches the public, it's already a success. They can do more, and that's what they want to do.

@Largeham - he still has the support of half the population. They don't want revolution. They just want secular law.

Revolution / civil war could happen if Erdogan keeps provoking them - he said he will try to evict them on Monday and he is having two large rallies next Saturday & Sunday.. so go figure..

But in any case, the protesters have already won - the intolerant, autocratic tendencies of Erdogan and the extent to which he controls the media has been exposed, his chances of concentrating power in himself in a presidential system have declined significantly, and there won't be nearly as much tolerance for police violence in the near future.

I think the correct comparison here is neither occupy wall street nor tahrir square, but the Paris commune 1968. In many ways, it is the awakening of a large section of society (mainly young people born in the early 90s) that was previously apolitical and cuts through the previous fractions. Will they ultimately get in power? No, but things will not be the same from now on.

It's not even about secularism - these protests were not orchestrated by kemalists, and contains liberals, football fans, LGBT groups, ethnic and religious minorities, even many pious people who had previously supported AKP. The main issue here is simple human rights: free press, free speech, right to assembly and inclusion in a participatory democratic process. See my earlier posts.

some more links

Some street humour:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lemoustache/25-examples-of-the-best-street-humour-from-istanbu-b7x9

Explanation of why they are protesting:

http://kendipesinde.blogspot.com.es/2013/06/occupy-gezi-park.html

And I forgot to mention, the protesters have met the deputy PM and made listed their demands while Erdogan was abroad. Their demands are as follows:

1- The park will not be destroyed (yes the government still wants to build on it, although they now say it will be a museum..)

2- High ranking police officers who have given orders to use excessive force must resign. (this is quite soft I think - they should also be put on trial considering that there are 3 deaths, 10 people who have lost their eyes, very strong evidence of police violence in general - see the videos I have posted)

3- tear gas should be banned

4- those in custody should be released

5- the right to assembly must be re-established (this is a constitutional right to begin with)

"The main issue here is simple human rights: free press, free speech, right to assembly and inclusion in a participatory democratic process."

I'm aware those are the main issues, anlari. Which is why I said secular law, which for me means the same thing as a liberal/western take on human rights.

Eh I'm not sure if you have the right definition there - for example Assad is quite secular, I wouldn't say he has a good track record on human rights though.

You say revolution is possible, but these people aren't protesting in Ankara. Erdogan, who is far from the kind of guy I would support, is still no Mubarak, let alone Assad. Journalists may be being jailed and the rule of law and may be being eroded, but the economy has boomed under him and Turkey has more of a liberal society than any of its Asian neighbors by leaps and bounds.

I think it's time to Erdogan to go and I fully support the protestors' grievances, but from what I see they are not really offering anything like a coherent alternative. Without that (or such a collapse of civil authority that the military steps in, ala Egypt), they cannot hope to really change things. France in 1968 is probably a pretty apt comparison, but remember de Gaulle ended up triumphing completely and the left didn't get into power until 1981.

Thanks for all the explanations. I can see a powerful party undermining the power of the press and judiciary but I confess I'm usually surprised when a civil power manages to neuter a military one, especially in a country with a history of the opposite happening.

The descriptions you give seem to indicate that the power of the Kemalists really is quite weak. Is that really the case?

@Invictus ... they are protesting in Ankara, albeit peacefully so far. Some people on Twitter have been saying that the police used tear gas around 40 minutes ago though.

https://twitter.com/AnkaraRed/status/343443823134924800/photo/1