Standing Man protest in Istanbul
Credit: AP

Protestors in Turkey have adopted the “Standing Man” protest, inspired by demonstrator Erdem Gunduz, who made world news on Tuesday by standing silently for eight hours in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. The form of peaceful demonstration has been carried out by hundreds of protestors in Ankara, Istanbul and smaller cities, and has revitalized the movement after violent clashes with police. Industrial engineer Ilker Gumus told Reuters, “I was a bit pessimistic at first. I thought, ‘This is over.’ But then the ‘Standing Man’ came along in Taksim and I said ‘Yes, we will go on!’.”

The Turkish government has condoned the Standing Man protests. On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told reporters in Ankara that “[t]hese kinds of protests should be encouraged…they involve no violence, but still are successful in conveying messages, and we should welcome these messages.” On Monday, Arinc suggested that if the clashes between the police and protestors continued, the military might be called to calm the situation.