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Friday, June 14, 2013

Smiling Under a Cloud of Tear Gas: Elif Shafak on Istanbul’s Streets




by Elif Shafak Jun 11, 2013 4:45 AM EDT

Even as protesters were under attack and tear gas floated through the streets, novelist Elif Shafak found humor, bonhomie, and pride among Turkey’s demonstrators. She writes about the slogans and stories that keep hope alive in Gezi Park.


Now that the protests have subsided and the police have retreated from the streets, there is the familiar smell of salt and seaweed in the wind, instead of pepper spray and tear gas. After days of tension, citizens have started to exchange anecdotes. Suddenly everyone has a story to tell.



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