Groups organize iftar in Istanbul neighborhood in response to civilian attack on Gezi supporters

ISTANBUL

More than 1,000 people participated in the iftar organized as a response to the attack in Istanbul's Kocamustafapaşa neighborhood. DHA photo

A group including the Anti-Capitalist Muslims organized a fast-breaking dinner July 12 in the Kocamustafapaşa neighborhood of the conservative Istanbul district of Fatih, one day after a group of men attacked a Gezi Park forum. 
 
The crowd had gathered on July 11 to commemorate Ali İsmail Korkmaz, a 19-year-old Gezi protester who succumbed to injuries that were inflicted by attackers with sticks in Eşkişehir. However, several attackers with sticks and knives soon emerged, threatening them with violence if they did not depart.
 
More than 1,000 people participated in the iftar organized as a response to the attack in the neighborhood, ahead of a discussion forum. The local solidarity platform thanked the Anti-Capitalist Muslims for not “abandoning the Kocamustafapaşa neighborhood” following the attack.
 
Following the evacuation and lockdown of Gezi Park, protests spread to neighborhood parks across Turkey, mutating into citizens’ discussion forums. The park where protests were sparked in late May was opened at the beginning of the week, but a strong police presence remains in the Taksim area.