Speech delivered in Millerntor Stadium, St. Pauli, as part of the Antira 2014 Tournament on Saturday 31st May 2014.
“Everything started last year, exactly about this time.
The resistance which started days ago, reached out to thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands exactly tonight.
A resistance which started against the construction of a mall that was being planned to be in taksim gezi park, turned into a revolt that the whole country was involved in, started tonight.
Exactly tonight, the rising police brutality till morning, maximised the resistance.
Riot control vehicles, armored police cars, pepper sprays, plastic bullets did not work for anything exactly tonight.
Exactly tonight, people said “enough!” to the dynasty that has been going on for years.
And exactly tonight, more people started to believe that another life is possible.
Last year, exactly tonight will never be forgotten any more.
We have ten reasons that make the last year’s tonight unforgettable, and raising our resistance. We want to tell them to you.
1- mehmet ayvalıtaş
We lost him first, in a solidarity demonstration in Istanbul / ümraniye, in 1 mayıs (may day neighborhood) by a car that ran into the crowd. He was twenty years old.
2- Abdullah cömert
We lost him by a tear gas canister that was shot by the police from a close distance, to his head. He was twenty two years old.
3- ethem sarısülük
He was shot by a police bullet in the demonstrations in Ankara. We lost him after he stayed in intensive care for fourteen days. He was twenty seven years old.
4- medeni yıldırım
He lost his life by a soldier’s bullet while he was protesting the construction of an outpost in diyarbakır – lice. He was twenty years old.
5- ali ismail korkmaz
While running away from the cops in eskişehir, he had cerebral hemorrhage that was caused by the strikes by the undercover cops and fascists, in an alley. After he stayed in coma for thirty eight days, we lost him. He was nineteen years old.
6- ahmet atakan
We lost him in a solidarity demonstration in Ankara, that was for the protests of trees being cut down in Ankara middle eastern technical university. He was twenty two years old.
7- hasan ferit gedik
In the resistance against the drug gangs in Istanbul gülsuyu neighborhood, he was killed by the fascists by being shot in the head. He was twenty one years old.
8- berkin elvan
In Istanbul okmeydanı, he left his home to buy bread, but he was shot in the head by a tear gas canister, by the police. We lost him after he stayed in coma for two hundred sixty nine days. He was the youngest of our losses. He was fifteen years old.
9- uğur kurt
In okmeydanı, he was murdered by the police by being shot in his mouth that was interfering to a demonstration where people where demonstrating for berkin elvan. He was thirty years old.
10- ayhan yılmaz
He lost his life in okmeydanı, during the escalated conflicts by being trapped in between. He was forty two years old.
We lost these people during the last year in gezi resistance, and the following resistances. The main reason that killed these people is the intense government terror. And for all the thousands of wounded, hundreds that lost their eyes, and who stayed in coma, the responsible ones are the AKP government and their police forces.
We are continuing the resistance by a matter of conscience to the ones we lost, that we mentioned. We will not forget them and their memories. Each one of their names are inscribed in our minds, and we want you to not to forget them either.
