In breve
Quando le autorità turche hanno cercato di rompere l'unità tra i manifestanti anticapitalisti laici e quelli religiosi, i musulmani osservanti hanno risposto invitando tutti a una festa pubblica durante il Ramadan Iftar.
During the 2013 popular protests that were sparked by opposition to the urban development plan of Istanbul’s Gezi Park, the authorities tried to break up an anti-capitalist protest which included muslims and seculars.
It was the holy month of Ramadan and many were fasting. The crowd viewed the authorities’ crackdown as an attempt to break-up the protesters unity, and so observant muslim protesters, due to break their fast by sunset, invited the crowd to a mass public feast for iftar.
It was an inspiring moment, which saw floods of people arriving, each with a simple dish celebrating the commonality of their struggle against capitalism. The feast stretched from Istiklal street off Gezi Park all the way to Taksim Square. About 30 minutes after the call to prayer (the time when the fast is broken), the police ordered everyone to leave Istiklal Street. Nonetheless, the peaceful steadfastness of the crowd forced the police to pull back.
Resistance blossomed from Gezi Park to Taksim Square to all Istanbul and then the rest of the country, and Gezi became a symbol of solidarity and determination in the face of capitalism. The spirit of unity was transformative for participants, and it proved that the people can unite regardless of their differences.