Blog post

Things are getting worse for you, Commander!

Lewis Bassett21 June 2013

As protest and revolt in Turkey continues, journalist and author Ece Temelkuran addresses Recep Erdoğan:

Roger that Commander!

We did not know that you have put up with us that long, Commander. You have been disgusted by us and hidden it from us. You have wanted us to be gassed and dispersed like insects for years? You never even wanted us to find a doctor when we desperately needed one? No lawyer should come to defend us. You wanted cops to come and take us and then nothing to be heard of us later. You even wanted us not to be able to breathe, to suffocate where we found shelter. Otherwise why would you order your cops and gendarmes to march on us, detain doctors and not even inform our lawyers where we are? You have always been disgusted by us, Commander. Come on, confess it. Confess and let's finish this game of lies.

How did you seal their hearts, Commander?

There are still people who believe that you are the "world leader" always telling the truth, Commander? Your boys and girls have been insulting, threatening innocent people for 15 days. I do not know what you used to poison them; they even make fun of little children being gassed, grinning like Cheshire cats. Commander, what did you do to them? Your civilian soldiers do not even show mercy to little children. How did you seal their hearts, Commander? What have you used on them? They want us all to die. No, I am not exaggerating. I and people like me have been receiving death threats and been subjected to humiliation for days.

Order your slaves, Commander!

Hey Commander! I am talking about people who wipe the tears of street dogs while they themselves are under attack. They are not doing this for "3-5 trees" anymore. But it is obvious that you are not doing it for a shopping mall, either. So why do you tell so many lies Commander? Why do you still keep marching your angry little soldiers on us, telling lies about us drinking in the mosque, having sex in the tent? You want us to die, don't you? We die and you feel relief, don't you? People dying just make more people rally to the cause, but you know better. They stand tighter when they are humiliated; they get stronger when they are threatened. You know better, of course. Do you think that these people have less pride than you? Ask your slaves and they will show you the footage. Look at the faces of those children. Look at whom you try to kill. See what suns set in the name of your shopping mall, in the name of your power, see it, Commander!

Things are getting worse for you, Commander!

How skilled in the art of ambush you are Commander! These children challenged you without weapons. You deceived them and went behind their back with your little soldiers, lies and thousands of tricks. Do not feel relief just because your TVs, your newspapers have not covered what happened. Because everyone sees what happened with their own eyes. I cannot head count like you or know percentages as you do. But this country has witnessed the greatest uprising of its history. They will all remember as long as they live. From now on each person has his own story, Commander. Things are really getting worse for you. Beware.

Talk frankly, Commander!

Is there an international conspiracy? I do not know. But you know these international conspiracies better than we do, Commander. Maybe there is a conspiracy against you like the one that brought you there. I do not know of any such, we cannot know. We have never had "networks" like you and your slaves. And we never will. What we know is the following, Commander: You burned our skin with your chemical substances cut off the electricity and released your blood-shedding militia on us. You made your soldiers hunt people in the side streets. You had our youngsters' brains blown out, Commander! This is what we know. What else do you know? Talk frankly and let us know.

Are you in, Commander?

Hey Commander! Two years ago I wrote an article to you, remember that? Its title was "at your service Commander". Next day I lost my job and your mad slaves made my life altogether miserable in the following year. They did everything that could be done. They kept chasing me wherever I went, and whenever I tried to make my voice louder, they were on my back. They put their fingers in my eyes and threatened me. I know your people very well, Commander! Now do you know our people? We do not threaten, ambush or lie. This is how our people are, Commander. They are all in the streets with their bright faces, with their clear names. They just challenge with their hearts. Tell us now Commander:

Are you in?

This article was originally published on Ece Temelkuran's website.