An account of the events at Taksim Square in Istanbul

The following is a translation of my dear old friend Kemal's account of today's event at Taksim Square in Istanbul. Kemal and I met when his brother, he, and I still lived in Strasbourg, the former two students at the Lycée international de Pontonniers and I at the Lycée Jean Monnet.

Mr. the Prime Minister, I would like to thank you for your kindness. You made us a great service and you are not even aware of it. You ordered your police service to kill and I saw a wounded Fenerbahce fan being helped by Galatasaray fans, students sharing a bit of bread and water with others, Turkish Kurds walking hand in hand. Those you called whores rush to help with lemon and water those afflicted by tear gas, those you called transvestites open their doors to the wounded. I have seen doctors, lawyers, nurses sharing their private cell phone numbers. I have seen medical students tending to people when you forbade hospitals from accepting protesters. I have seen old grandmothers handing out wet towels, you have cut phone lines and some opened their Wi-Fi connections, hotel owners turn their facilities into hospitals, I have seen a bus driver crash his vehicle into the street to prevent tanks from going through, pharmacies open again under fire for the entire night. You can be certain, tonight we do not cry because of your tear gas, but because we are proud.