Kemalistler
Uluğ, Ö. M., & Acar, Y. (2015). We are more than alliances between groups': A social psychological perspective on the Gezi Park protesters and negotiating levels of identity. In Everywhere Taksim: sowing the seeds for a new Turkey at Gezi. Amsterdam University Press.
Kemalists (ADD – Rize, TGB – Hatay and Istanbul, İP – Mersin): Under
the Kemalist umbrella, participants were members of two NGOs: the
ADD and the TGB, as well as one political party (İP). Participants stated
that Kemalists had joined the protests to object to the bans on the
celebration of national holidays, the ‘disappearance of secularism’ and
the AKP’s interventions that effectively tied the hands of the military.
In addition, they were protesting to protect the Republic of Turkey,
founded by Atatürk, and to protect the unity and integrity of the nation.
Participants from TGB indicated that they were in the protests with
their TGB identity. On the other hand, there were times when the
participants were present with their personal, rather than their activist
identity. Participants from the İP in Mersin and ADD in Rize stated
that they did not participate with their activist identity because the
protests in these cities were more like community gatherings, rather
than gatherings of organisations, as in Istanbul.
All of the Kemalist participants felt close to the LGBTI movement, CHP,
TGB, TKP and some environmentalist platforms, such as the Fellowship
of Rivers Platform (Derelerin Kardeşliği Platformu). However, the
Kemalists did not feel close to the Kurdish movement. (p. 128-129)