I wont tell you about the history either. I just wanna tell you about the one unique thing I found when in Diyarbakir. Here in the city, and also in most of other provinces in Turkey where Kurds live, they have demonstrations almost all the time. And each demonstration, not all of course but mostly, will ended up clash. Right after demonstration, kids will start to throw stones, air mineral bottles, or anything else to the riot police, and soon after that, they'll get water canon and tear gas shot from the police.
A friend of mine, a local journalist asked me first time we talked about this demonstration, before it was happening. "Have you ever tasted a tear gas?", I said "No. Been in some 'hard' demonstration but never had tear gas" (I was also wondering why, at that time). And he said to me, "I have a friend, an international correspondent who experienced a lot tear gas before in other countries and he said this one in Diyarbakir was the toughest one".
Couple of days after that, a demonstration happened. Thousands of people gathered on the streets protesting about the case on their MP's candidate, Hatip Dicle. The demonstration was smooth, officially over,but soon after that, the stones took place replacing the speech from the politician. It was the kid. For me, it seems to be just like that's the way it is. They suffered the oppression for thens of years, and this little kid has learnt that the state, along with it tools (military, police) are their enemies. They throw stones to the police and they got angry polices fight them back with tear gas. I was only about 10 meters or less from them and I cant tell you how hurt it was. It burnt my skin, hurt my eyes so bad, and i found it hard to breath. To make it worse, the temperature was over 40 degrees, and me and couple of other journous were not preparing our self, with let say, tooth paste (this is the only thing i knew can help you with tear gas). One of us actually brought a tear gas mask, but we've been told if we wore that on the demonstration, the demonstrants might mistake us from the police. With watery eyes and heavily cough, we walked away a few meters. And an old man offer us a bottle of water. It was the lemon water. He told us to wash our face with it, and it works instantly!
Right when i washed my face, I was doing PTC (piece to camera), and my camera man point the camera on me and that man. And I was almost surprised that he refused to be shown on the camera. He said, he could be ended up in prison just because he bring that lemon water on the demonstration. (Really, can you imagine, this is happening in Turkey?)
We talked about this lemon and demonstration a lot after that. And they told me that when a clash happened in the streets of Diyarbakir and the police start to shoot the protesters with tear gas, people who lives on the flats or apartments on that street always throw the lemons from their houses to the streets. Too bad I could not make it to witness this, but i was so touched when i heard it.
Not long after that protest, I had the chance to report another demonstration in another city, Nursaybin, about 2,5 hours from Diyarbakir. The same thing happened, and when we were suffered the tear gas, another old man offered me a lemon that he kept on his pocket. He doesn't even know me in person, except that I'm a journalist, looks so Asian and physically different from them, maybe travelled away from my country doing some insane jobs in their land. But he helped me even when he knew that if the police, which is only a few meters from us, see that, he might have some troubles. Also in the same protest, when we could not stand anymore to be near even meters away from the tear gas, we entered a building that happens to be a house of the local people. They offered us salts (they said we have to swallow it to help our throat), and offer us their house to take a rest and refresh our self.
They might not know it, but what they've done touched me, so much. It's just felt so moved to see how they would like to help other people they don't even know in such situation.
I might not be there anymore, I probably can not go that place anymore, but I'll always remember this little-but means-so-much thing they've done to me. Simple, but sincere. And I love them, mostly for that kind of things.
Even if you ask me, to be honest, I'd really like to be able to be in Diyarbakir again, while hoping so much that peace will come in this region. But for now, spas Amedi, sampai jumpa! :)
Right when i washed my face, I was doing PTC (piece to camera), and my camera man point the camera on me and that man. And I was almost surprised that he refused to be shown on the camera. He said, he could be ended up in prison just because he bring that lemon water on the demonstration. (Really, can you imagine, this is happening in Turkey?)
We talked about this lemon and demonstration a lot after that. And they told me that when a clash happened in the streets of Diyarbakir and the police start to shoot the protesters with tear gas, people who lives on the flats or apartments on that street always throw the lemons from their houses to the streets. Too bad I could not make it to witness this, but i was so touched when i heard it.
Not long after that protest, I had the chance to report another demonstration in another city, Nursaybin, about 2,5 hours from Diyarbakir. The same thing happened, and when we were suffered the tear gas, another old man offered me a lemon that he kept on his pocket. He doesn't even know me in person, except that I'm a journalist, looks so Asian and physically different from them, maybe travelled away from my country doing some insane jobs in their land. But he helped me even when he knew that if the police, which is only a few meters from us, see that, he might have some troubles. Also in the same protest, when we could not stand anymore to be near even meters away from the tear gas, we entered a building that happens to be a house of the local people. They offered us salts (they said we have to swallow it to help our throat), and offer us their house to take a rest and refresh our self.
They might not know it, but what they've done touched me, so much. It's just felt so moved to see how they would like to help other people they don't even know in such situation.
I might not be there anymore, I probably can not go that place anymore, but I'll always remember this little-but means-so-much thing they've done to me. Simple, but sincere. And I love them, mostly for that kind of things.
Even if you ask me, to be honest, I'd really like to be able to be in Diyarbakir again, while hoping so much that peace will come in this region. But for now, spas Amedi, sampai jumpa! :)
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