Tear gas-scented candle to revive Gezi protest memories in Turkey
ISTANBUL
The Turkey branch of Amnesty International has sent special tear gas-scented candles to its activists and supporters in a bid to revive Gezi memories and commemorate the second anniversary of the nationwide anti-government uprising. Amnesty came up with the project in order to commemorate the second anniversary of the nationwide anti-government Gezi Park protests on May 31.
The project is based on the idea that scents and memories are closely linked, and familiar smells have the power to trigger powerful memories.
On May 29, the NGO called on its supporters to share their memories on Twitter with the hashtag “When it smells like tear gas,” (#bibergazıkokunca in Turkish), and received widespread response.
“ #Whenitsmellsliketeargas we get teary-eyed. Both longing and hurting”
Amnesty International worked in collaboration with the advertising agency Grey Istanbul and famous Turkish perfumist Vedat Ozan to develop the project.
May 31 marked the second anniversary of the Gezi protests, which continued throughout the summer of 2013 and were marked by nationwide unrest and disproportionate police violence.
Six people were killed directly by the police crackdown during the protests, while 8,000 were injured, according to Amnesty International.
