Istanbul’s Gezi Park on Taksim Square, which was for more than a month the venue for mass demonstrations, will be opened for visits today, the governor of Istanbul Huseyin Avni Mutlu said.
The demonstrations in Istanbul began because of intentions of city authorities to demolish the park and replace it with a shopping and entertainment center. As a result thousands of opponents of demolition started demonstrations.
Taksim Gezi Park, which has become the heart of the anti-government movement sweeping the nation, was opened again to public use today by the Istanbul governor with a ceremony.
Istanbul Gov. Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, Mayor Kadir Topbaş and some district mayors attended the reopening.
Mutlu said Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality made “a great work” and turned the park into a “heavenly corner” for Istanbul residents.
The governor, who has come under fire for the frequently violent conduct of police forces in suppressing protesters, also said Beyoğlu Municipality would be operating a fast-breaking event during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan every evening.
Mutlu, however, denied claims that a giant tent would be erected in the park for Ramadan events.
The governor said a group continued to insist that Gezi Park belonged to them, hinting at the Taksim Solidarity Platform, which initially sought to prevent the destruction of the park in late May, but he said Istanbul parks belong to the city’s 14 million residents.
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He also said any illegal gatherings would be prohibited. During the reopening ceremony, a large number of protesters who were prevented from entering the park shouted slogans at the edge of the green space, including “Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance,” a famous slogan now used nationwide in solidarity demonstrations.
The park has been closed since a brutal police intervention forced protesters out of the site on June 15, forcing demonstrators to abandon their tents and locations where they had stayed day and night for nearly two weeks before the operation.
The protests received a severe blow with the closing of the park, though individual and group demonstrations have continued with regularity since the police action.
According to Turkey’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, during three weeks 2.5 million people participated in the protests in 79 provinces of Turkey.
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