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A woman mourns in front of a makeshift memorial for the victim's of the
twin bombings in Istanbul. December 11, 2016. JOTI |
Did you ever see a kid getting picked on in school. The bullies would hit him, he'd fall but he'd get back up, and they would do it again, and he'd get back up again.
His determination to get back up was sad but it made you root for him.
That kid is Istanbul right now. It has been a year of terrible beatings for the city and the country of Turkey.
This 2016 has brought with it four major terror attacks and a coup attempt that has permanently changed the fabric of the country and the psyche of the people. This is a nationalistic country by nature, but this year the nationalistic cries have reached a feverish pitch. The kid keeps getting kicked down and keeps getting back up. It's happened so many times now that he trusts nobody, not even those just standing around watching.
On June 28, 3 suicide bombers attacked Ataturk International airport, one of the busiest airports
in Europe. The violence killed 48 people and injured more than 200. Istanbul shook, shivered and went quiet. The country's tourism sector dove.
The city's vibrant cafe culture lost the humans. People stayed home and tried to understand whether they were now living in a war zone or in Istanbul. Then they heaved, coughed, got up and brushed themselves off. We will not be made scared they said.
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People march to the site of Saturday night's twin bombings in Istanbul.
December 11, 2016 JOTI |
And 17 days later, a different kind of bully knocked.
On the night of
July 15, a
military coup took place. It was over by morning, but for most people it tore the threads of reality.
The military shut down bridges, took over television stations. My mind
was blown. Every few minutes the sonic boom of F-16s swooping over the Bosphorus would send everyone for cover.
I hopped a fence to get into my house because I couldn't find my
keys and thought we were being
bombed.
To this very day, there are arrests related to the coup attempt. However, after months of tension, people had started to get a certain rhythm back. The summer of 2016 and all of the heinous reality pinches seemed far away.
Then December 10. Twin
-bombings shook Istanbul's city center. Right between ancient
Dolmabahce Palace and the shiny new Vodaphone stadium - a car bomb kicked down the people of Istanbul again.
It was Saturday night and two of Turkey's largest football teams were playing each other - Besiktas and Bursaspor. Riot police by the busload are always stationed outside of large matches in Istanbul. A football match isn't just a football match here, it's pride, prejudice and pure passion rolled up into a giant spliff of alcohol and machismo. So yes, riot police are necessary.
Two hours after the match finished. Who won is insignificant. A car bomb purportedly filled with more than 300 lbs of explosives changed reality in Istanbul. The bomb hita riot police bus as well as the hundreds of others milling about. A suicide bomber detonated himself in a park nearby - next to a group of police officers.
At least 44 people are dead and more than 155 injured. A Kurdish militant group has claimed responsibility. The Kurdish Freedom Falcons (TAK) say their war is not against Turkish people. But the killed police officers were for the most part were your average young Turkish men, not the Turkish politicians that are making the decisions that are so irksome for TAK.
Enter the great, great, great divide. The kid that keeps getting kicked down has to fight something now. He's tired of nursing those bruises. And so now he can fight another kid that's also been kicked around. And everyone will sit around and watch.
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Police clear central bus terminal after suspicious package found.
December 11, 2016. JOTI |
Hundreds of arrests have been made since Saturday night's twin blasts. Turkish politicians have made such eloquent statements as "we will have revenge".
Police presence has been high since the attempted coup with searches taking place at major public transportation hubs already.
So the high police presence will stay high. The addition of thousands of Turks waving flags and standing up in the atreet at night will be N additional sort of presence.
And in other news on Saturday. A constitutional change bill was submitted to parliament. If approved, the country's political system would change from a parliamentary one into a presidential one. The bill will ensure the president is garlanded with executive powers. The number of deputies would increase from 550 to 600.
The kid is confused and mad. Mad and confused is a dangerous thing.
