Ankara Mayor vows to build ‘vandalism museum’ to exhibit damage inflicted by Gezi protesters

ANKARA

Ankara Mayor has said in a statment that a 'vandalism museum' will be built to exhibit the damage caused to public property by Gezi protesters.

Ankara’s Mayor Melih Gökçek has announced his intention to open a “vandalism museum” where he would exhibit the damaged public properties during the Gezi protests in the turkish capital

One of the most controversial names of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Gökçek had stirred much debate when he launched hashtag wars on Twitter against media outlets BBC and CNN, accusing them of conspiracy and misleading reports. He continued his Gezi-bashing crusade by announcing his plan to build the museum and describing the protests as “terror events.”

“Due to the terror events that took place particularly in Kızılay and its surroundings, 26 public buses, 48 bus stops, 64 traffic signs, 74 billboards, an art gallery, the municipality building in Kızılay, cameras, lampposts, pavements and the clock at Kızılay Square have been damaged,” the statement said.

Along with the destroyed public properties, photographs will also be displayed and videos screened at the museum, the statement added.

Gökçek also shared his plan to create the museum during a fast-breaking dinner on July 12, adding that it would be located next to AnkaMall, one of the biggest shopping centers of the city. “We will exhibit all the cars, bus stops and simit counters damaged during the protests so that everyone can see them. So that they know what can happen if they capture Ankara,” he said.

The police response to protests in Ankara had been particularly harsh. Hot spots such as Kennedy Avenue in the city center and the Dikmen district saw repeated crackdowns. A protester, Ethem Sarısülük, was killed after he was shot by a police officer.