Everywhere Taksim

Items

• God Save the Sultan
  This graffiti play on the album cover of Sex Pistol’s "God Save the Queen" and replaces Queen Elizabeth's photo with Erdoğan. The reference to a monarchical leader and referring to him as a "sultan" make fun of his authoritarianism. The crescent of the Turkish flag put into his mouth resembles fangs, likening him to a vampire sucking the country's blood.
• Gas Me Baby One More Time
  The graffiti plays with the lyrics of the popular song "...Baby One More Time" (Britney Spears, 1999) to produce a sarcastic and provocative message.
• Four football fans
  The people in the photo are wearing fan apparel of the four biggest football clubs in Turkey, which are normally known for their fierce rivalry. This was a common sight at Gezi, supporters of different teams appearing together to display the fraternal "spirit of Gezi".
• Football fans in Izmir
  Two men supporting Karşıyaka and Göztepe, two rival football teams from Izmir province, have climbed up a pole and are expressing their support for the teams to show unity. The photo was taken during a protest to support Gezi in Izmir. Such supporting protests were organized all over Turkey.
• Everyday I’m chapulin
  The graffiti references the lyrics "Every day I'm shufflin'" from the popular song "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO. It connects the lyrics with the image of a "chapuller" with a gas mask.
• Demonstrator waving Turkish flag
• Demonstrator waving rainbow flag on barricade
  The photo depicts a demonstrator standing atop a makeshift barricade assembled by the protesters and waving a rainbow flag. The background is covered with smoke from a fire. Several other protesters can be seen behind the barricade in the lower left corner.
• Dancer with gas mask and a pink skirt
  The photo shows a dancer with a skirt resembling that of a semazen, but in pink and a decidedly feminine style. They are also wearing a gas mask. A large crowd has gathered around to watch the performance.
• Couple with gas masks
  The photo shows a couple with gas masks walking on a street from Beşiktaş to Taksim.
• Çarşı ampule karşı / Allahını seven defansa gelsin
  The graffiti on the left references the Beşiktaş football team fan group Çarşı. "Çarşı ... karşı" (Çarşı is against ...) was sort of a meme at the time due to the rhyme and Çarşı being known for their disorderly tendencies. The lightbulb refers to the logo of the ruling party AKP. The graffiti on the right jokingly repeats a line that is often used in amateur (especially children's) football games. It analogizes the defense line in football to front defense in the riots.
• Çapularak çoğalıyoruz!
  The graffiti makes fun of Erdoğan's calling the protesters marauders and claims this name as a positive quality that encourages people to join the protests.
• Bu biber gazi bir harika dostum
  This ironic graffiti jokingly calls out the tear gas use by the police.
• Boy wearing a Guy Fawkes mask
  A boy wearing a Guy Fawkes mask displays his wooden sword behind a barricade at Gezi Park in central Istanbul June 12, 2013. Turkish riot police fought running battles with pockets of protesters overnight, clearing the central Istanbul square that has been the focus of nearly two weeks of protests against Turkey’s prime minister. By dawn, Taksim Square, strewn with wreckage from bulldozed barricades, was largely deserted and taxis crossed it for the first time since the troubles started. Several hundred remained in an encampment of tents in Gezi Park abutting the square.
• Bizde Hulk Var
  The graffiti is a wordplay on the Marvel Comics superhero "The Incredible Hulk" and "halk", the Turkish word for "people". It depicts the people as being on the protestors' side in opposition to the government, and magnifies the reported strength of the people to superhero levels.
• Benim gibi 3 çocuk ister misin?
  This graffiti references Erdoğan's former statement that he expects every family to support the economic development of the country by having at least three children. This statement was highly controversial and commonly seen as an overreach from the government into people's private lives. The graffiti emphasizes the huge participation of the youth in the movement and criticizes ironically Erdoğan's view on increasing the population.
• Anti-capitalist Muslims praying
  The photo shows a group of Muslims praying in Gezi Park during the protests. The group is part of "Anti-capitalist Muslims", one of the most prominent interest groups that formed during the protests. The man in the front is İhsan Eliaçık, a theologian and the group's founder.
• Ankarada Ethem Sarısülük AKP tarafından katledildi
  This graffiti on a storefront is sharing the news of someone falling victim to police brutality. It seems to serve two functions at the same time: spreading news at a time when mainstream media was not deemed trustworthy, and holding the governing party AKP responsible for the murder.
• 1. Geleneksel Gaz Festivaline Hoşgeldiniz
  This graffiti jokingly addresses the excessive use of tear gas by the police by framing it in a carnivalesque manner. It arguably delineates the situation humorously to alleviate the deterrent effects of police violence on protesters.
• !Paylaş! Medya sensin
  The graffiti urges the reader to share footage from the protests. The creator sees this as the only way to get the news out, since they see traditional media outlets as impotent or compromised.