Academics Protest Attack on METU Sunday, October 27, 2013 Statement of Support to Middle East Technical Universitys Resistance against the Governments Unlawful Environmental Massacre on Their Campus Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, led by the AKP (Justice and Development Party) has, despite opposition, initiated a road construction project that goes through a forest area located in Ankara’s inner city , which is also property of Middle East Technical University (METU). University students, the University presidency as well as the residents of the neighborhood located right next to the campus have opposed this project. Student resistance initially halted various attempts by the Municipal demolition teams to cut down the trees. Although the University administration’s appeal of Ankara Municipality’s proposed plan was still under legal consideration, the Municipality committed an environmental massacre by destroying 3,000 trees on the night of October 18. The land was cleared overnight, without any prior notice or permission. The night raid of the Ankara Municipality demolition teams backed by riot police was followed by an army of construction vehicles, working day and night to complete the unlawful highway as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the government foiled all possible legal attempts to resolve the conflict. The police have responded to the opposition from the University with excessive use of tear gas and water cannons. In other words, METU’s fight for its forest has also become a fight for its democratic right to protest and to exercise its freedom of speech. This act shows how the government turns a blind eye to the environmental concerns of the people as firmly expressed during the Gezi Uprising. The attack on METU confirms the government’s commitment to sacrifice public green space for the ongoing construction projects. We also state that this action poses a vivid example of the government’s encroachment on the autonomy of higher education in Turkey. We, the undersigned academics, condemn the unlawful environmental massacre and the police brutality in the Middle East Technical University campus. It is an unethical and unacceptable attack on METU as well as the academia in Turkey. We declare our full support and solidarity with all resisting METU students, academic personnel and staff. In solidarity, Name Institution Country Ahu Karasulu Yıldız Technical University Turkey Akın Tek Istanbul Sehir University Turkey Alaz Kilicarslan Boston University United States Albeniz Tuğçe Ezme University of Cincinnati United States Aleksandar Şopov Harvard University United States Alevgül Şorman Autonomous University of Barcelona Spain Ali B. Arslan Brown University United States Ali K. Saysel Boğaziçi University Turkey Ali Rıza Güngen Ondokuz Mayıs University Turkey Alidost Numan University of Chicago United States Altan Ercan Harvard Medical School United States Andrea Quaden University of Hamburg Germany Andrew Littlejohn Harvard University United States Anlam Filiz Emory University United States Asiye Akgün Istanbul Kultur University Turkey Aslı Igsiz New York University United States Aslihan Karatas University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign United States Ataman Avdan Simon Fraser University Canada Aydin Cem Keser University of Maryland United States Aydin Ozipek Northwestern University United States Ayfer Karakaya-Stump The College of William and Mary United States Ayse Esra Sirin Brown University United States Aysegul Kayagil New School for Social Research United States Aysun Gezen Ankara University Turkey Ayşe Gül Altınay Sabancı University Turkey Barış Balcıoğlu Sabancı University Turkey Bengi Akbulut Boğaziçi University Turkey Bilal E. Kerman The Salk Institute United States Bilgen Ekim Ustunel Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Germany Bronwyn Isaacs Harvard University United States Burak Cesme Northeastern University United States Burak Kose York University Canada Burak Özçetin Akdeniz University Turkey Burcu Baykurt Columbia University United States https://mail.google/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif Caghan Kizil German Center for Neurodegenerative Dis. Germany Can Eyup Cekic Bilkent University Turkey Caner Özdemir Middle East Technical University Turkey Cem Oğuz Ankara University Turkey Ceren Civelek Galatasaray University Turkey Ceren Göğüş Istanbul Kultur University Turkey Ceren Gürkan Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya Spain Ceyda Sungur Istanbul Technical University Turkey Claudio Sopranzetti All Souls College, Oxford UK Çağla Bozer Sabancı University Turkey Çağla Orpen New School for Social Research United States Çağlar Dölek Middle East Technical University Turkey Dağlar Tanrıkulu Rutgers University United States Deniz Arzuk Boğaziçi University Turkey Deniz Ay University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign United States Deniz Ilhan SUNY Stony Brook University United States Deniz Ozdemir Yasar University Turkey Deniz Tarba Ceylan Sabancı University Turkey Deniz Yükseker Koç University Turkey Derya Ülker Mimar Sinan University Turkey Devrim Kılıçer Ankara University Turkey Didem Türkoğlu University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill United States Dilara Demir Rutgers University United States Duygu Kasdogan York University Canada E. Çetin Gürer Villanova University United States Ebru Isgin West Chester University of Pennsylvania United States Efe Murat Balıkçıoğlu Harvard University United States Ekin Emek Berber SUNY Binghamton University United States Ekin Kurtic Harvard University United States Elçin Arabacı Georgetown University United States Elif Keskiner Erasmus University Rotterdam Holland Elif Kuş Saillard Ankara University Turkey Emrah Altindis Harvard Medical School United States Emre Akbas University of California United States Emre Gürcanlı İtü inşaat fakültesi Turkey Emre Özçelik METU - Northern Cyprus Campus Cyprus Emre Şahin SUNY Binghamton University United States Erdal Özmen Middle East Technical University Turkey Erdem Üngür Istanbul Kultur University Turkey Erdinc Erdem New School for Social Research United States Eren Karaca SUNY Binghamton University United States Erol Köroğlu Boğaziçi University Turkey Esin Duzel University of California, San Diego United States Esin Kasapoğlu Istanbul Kultur University Turkey Ethemcan Turhan Autonomous University of Barcelona Spain Faranak Miraftab University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign United States Feray Coskun Freie Universitaet Germany Figen F. Oktem University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign United States Fikret Görün METU Turkey Filiz Gozenman University of Nevada, Reno United States Filiz Kahraman University of Washington United States Funda Üstek University of Oxford UK Giray Enkavi University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign United States Gizem Gezer University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign United States Gizem Inak Hertie Institute Tübingen Germany Gokhan Inan North Carolina State University United States Gozde Burcu Ege University of Washington United States Gökhan Atınç University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign United States Gülay Hasdoğan Middle East Technical University Turkey Gülay Türkmen Yale University United States Gülçin Con Purdue University United States Güven Gürkan Öztan Istanbul University Turkey Güven Güzeldere Harvard University United States Güvenç Şahin Sabancı University Turkey Hade Turkmen Cardiff University UK Hakan Mıhcı Hacettepe University Turkey Hakan Topal State University of New York United States Hande Sungur VU University Netherlands Hanifi Barış University of Aberdeen Scotland, UK Hasan Yılmaz University of Twente Netherlands Ibrahim Saylan Izmir University of Economics Turkey Ilker Ozkan Middle East Technical University Turkey Ipek Akpınar Istanbul Technical University Turkey Ipek Mercil Galatasaray University Turkey Işıl Uluç University of Vienna Austria Işıl Ünal Ankara University Turkey İlke Şanlıer Yüksel Doğuş University Turkey İlke Tekin Istanbul Kultur University Turkey İlkem Kayıcan Istanbul Bilgi University Turkey İlker Urlu Ağrı İbrahim Ceçen University Turkey İnci Özgür İlhan Ankara University Turkey İpek Çamlı Ankara University Turkey ipek Sakarya Istanbul University Turkey İsmet Koç Hacettepe University Turkey Jon Clindaniel Harvard University United States Julia McClure Harvard University United States K. Mehmet Kentel University of Washington United States Kelly Kato Rutgers University United States Kemal Davaslioglu University of California, Irvine United States Kevin Chamow Rutgers University United States Leslie Gates SUNY Binghamton University United States Leyla Neyzi Sabancı University Turkey M. Onur Arun Univeristy of Manchester UK Mahinur S. Akkaya Middle East Technical University Turkey Maral Jefroudi Intrenational Institute of Social History Netherlands Mehmet Baki Deniz SUNY Binghamton University United States Mehmet Şahin Izmir University of Economics Turkey Mehmet Türkay Marmara Üniversitesi Turkey Melike Sümertaş Boğaziçi University Turkey Melisa Kohen Stanford University United States Meltem Kayıran Ankara University Turkey Meltem Yılmaz Şener Istanbul Bilgi University Turkey Metin Duran Villanova University United States Michael Herzfeld Harvard University United States Mine Tafolar University of Texas at Austin United States Mukadder Okuyan New School for Social Research United States Murat Arcan Kündük Hacettepe University Turkey Murat Germen Sabancı University Turkey Neslihan Demirtaş Milz Izmir University of Economics Turkey Neslihan Dostoglu Istanbul Kultur University Turkey Nilay Noyan Sabancı University Turkey Nilgün Erdem Ankara University Turkey Nilufer Akalin SUNY Binghamton University United States Nora Tataryan Concordia University Canada Nur Bahar Sakızlıoğlu Utrecht University Netherlands Nurbanu Karataş Ankara University Turkey Odilka Santiago SUNY Binghamton University United States Olga S. Hünler Izmir University of Economics Turkey Onur Erten Rutgers University United States Onur Yildirim Middle East Technical University Turkey Oya Tagit Université Paris-Sud France Ozan Ekin Kurt CEPN, Université Paris France Ozan Karaman University of Glasgow Scotland, UK Ozgur Oksuz New York University United States ozlem celik University of Sheffield UK Ömer Allahverdi Dicle University Turkey Ömer Turan Istanbul Bilgi University Turkey Önder Güneş Middle East Technical University Turkey Önder Küçükural Sabancı University Turkey Özge Ejder Yeditepe University Turkey Özge Öner Jönköping International Business School Sweden Özge Özdüzen Edge Hill University UK Özgür Narin Ordu University Turkey Özlem Aslan University of Toronto Canada Özlem Kaplan Yurtseven Middle East Technical University Turkey Öznur Sahin University of Western Sydney Australia Pelin Akçagün Middle East Technical University Turkey Pelin Bayindir Middle East Technical University Turkey Pelin Çetken Istanbul Kultur University Turkey Pervin Oya Taneri Cankiri Karatekin University Turkey Pınar Kemerli Cornell University United States Pınar Kılıcer Leiden University Netherlands Pinar Deniz Aksoy Fordham university United States Rabia Harmansah University of Pittsburgh United States Rachel Martins IST, University of Lisbon Portugal Ricardo Laremont SUNY Binghamton University United States Rossen L. Djagalov Koç University Turkey Sahizer Samuk IMT Institute for Advanced Studies Lucca Italy Salih Can Aciksoz School of Middle Eastern& North African Studies United States Samuel Andrew Hardy Univeristy College London UK Sander van Lanen University College Cork Ireland Sara Suna Yucel The Rockefeller University United States Sarp Balcı Ankara University Turkey Seda Altug Boğaziçi University Turkey Selin Dilli Utrecht University Netherlands Serap Türüt Aşık Middle East Technical University Turkey Sergül Aydöre University of Southern California United States Serim Gursoy Denel California Polytechnic State University United States Serkan Taşkent Sakarya University Turkey Sezen Bayrak Gurel SUNY Binghamton University United States Sibel Karadağ Koç University Turkey Simge Yüz Ludwig-Maximilians-University Germany Sinan Eden IST, University of Lisbon Portugal Sinem Ayhan University of Bologna Italy Sumru Atuk The City University of New York United States Suzan Odabasi Middle Tennessee State University United States Şükrü Ekin Kocabaş Koç University Turkey Tezcan Durna Ankara University Turkey Tolga Kobas Columbia University United States Tolga Tezcan TUBITAK Turkey Tuba Zehir Middle East Technical University Turkey Tülin Ödün Middle East Technical University Turkey Ümit Fırat Açıkgöz Rice University United States Volkan Çıdam Istanbul Kemerburgaz University Turkey Yasemin Dildar University of Massachusetts-Amherst UK Yasemin Ergin Middle East Technical University Turkey Yelda Erçandırlı Middle East Technical University Turkey Yiğit Atılgan Sabancı University Turkey Zeynep Atalay St. Marys College of California United States Zeynep Gambetti Boğaziçi University Turkey Zeynep Helvacı University of Münster Germany Zeynep Kalaylıoğlu Middle East Technical University Turkey zeynep kurtulus University of Arizona United States Zeynep Oğuz Harvard University United States Zeynep Tuna Ultav Izmir University of Economics Turkey Zeynep Ü. Kaşlı University of Washington United States Zeynep Yanasmayan Max Planck Institute Germany Zeyno Ustun New School for Social Research United States Zülfü Aşık Middle East Technical University Turkey P.S: Please email your names and your affiliated academic institutions to solidaritywithmetu@gmail to show your support.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 00:35:39 +0000
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