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)