Parks in Ankara to be named after Gezi protest victims

ANKARA - Doğan News Agency

A woman takes a picture in front of the photos of some of the victims of the protests in Gezi Park, the epicenter of anti-government demonstrations in June. AFP Photo

Names of the six people killed during the Gezi Park protests will be given to parks in Ankara.
The parks, which are named after the five killed protesters – Ethem Sarısülük, Abdullah Cömert, Ali İsmail Korkmaz, Ahmet Atakan, Mehmet Ayvalıtaş – and Mustafa Sarı, the police officer who died after a fall during the protests, will be opened on Sept. 27 by Ankara’s Çankaya Municipality.

The Gezi Park protests, which started on May 27 after the police cracked down on peaceful protesters rallying against the unearthing of trees in Istanbul’s last downtown park, spread to almost all of Turkey’s provinces. The Turkish Doctors’ Union (TTB) says 11 people lost their lives and more than 7,500 people injured in incidents related to the protests. Çankaya Mayor Bülent Tanık said the Gezi Park demos would go down in Turkish history and would not be forgotten by the people.

This decision for not to forget what happened

“This decision that we have reached in order to prevent what has been experienced from being forgotten shows the deep scars left by social events. I hope we will have days where peace, brotherhood, trust and toleration will prevail. These brothers of ours, who we have launched into eternity, will live in our parks as much as our memories,” said Tanık.

The parks are located in the Mustafa Kemal, Kırkkonaklar, Dikmen-Cevizlidere, Öveçler and Birlik neighborhoods of Ankara. There will be a modest collective opening ceremony at the park in the Mustafa Kemal neighborhood.