Popular Culture
Many protesters drew on popular culture references in their costumes or graffiti. These were often used to inject a sense of humor into the protests and to poke fun at the government and police. References included song lyrics, movies, superheroes, and video games.
All images
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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. -
Incredible Halk The graffiti is a wordplay on the Marvel Comics superhero "The Incredible Hulk" and "halk", the Turkish word for "people". It glorifies "the people" behind the uprising by comparing them to the superhumanly abilities of the superhero. -
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. -
GTA’da polis döven nesile sataştın! This graffiti references the video game series "Grand Theft Auto", a Scottish series which has been extremely popular in Turkey from early 2000s onwards, during the childhood/teens of many young protesters in Gezi. It makes a nostalgic throwback to popular culture to establish a common identity. -
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. -
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.