Amasya residents fight gas station construction on green area in Gezi-inspired protest
AMASYA
Dozens of demonstrators stood guard all night to prevent workers from continuing to cut down trees. AA Photo
A small and picturesque town on the banks of Yeşilırmak in the interior of the central Black Sea region has spent the night demonstrating to prevent a green area being destroyed to make way for a gas station in a Gezi-inspired spontaneous protest.Residents of Amasya started gathering late on June 3 after workers started to cut trees on a plot of land with 137 trees in the center of the town belonging to the Turkish State Railways and used by locals as a major recreation and picnic area.
Umut Yolcu, a lawyer from the Amasya Bar Association, told reporters that they would apply to demand the cancelation of the license given to the gas company.
Residents received massive support across the country after news from their demonstrations spread on social media under the hashtag #DirenAmasya (Resist Amasya).
Amasya is a town particularly known for its nature and apple trees as well as historic Ottoman-era wooden houses along the Yeşilırmak River.