Turkey vs. Iceland: Which One Will The US Follow?

Today, I happened to read two completely opposite stories of two different countries: Turkey and Iceland. Both of them were about corrupt governments that sell their countries, piece-by-piece, to banks and corporations. Both of them were about peaceful civil protests that turned into revolutions.

Sounds quite familiar? Sure, the Occupy protests haven`t turned into revolutions (yet), but the root of all problems is pretty much the same everywhere in the world: the crisis made the rich richer and the poor poorer, the corrupt even more corrupt and the honest… well, they became as bitter as it gets. So bitter that they couldn`t live one more day in misery, while watching the fat cats stuffing the entire country in their greedy pockets.

So they took to the streets and revolted against the system. This is exactly what happened in Turkey this week and in Iceland last year. But the difference between these two protests lies in one single factor: the power of the people. And you`ll see exactly what I mean when you read the following:

Turkey

It all started with a peaceful protest against the demolition of the Gezi Park. Bulldozers were ready to start taking trees down and once they`d be done with the “massacre”, a brand new humongous shopping mall would rise on the same perimeter.

This wasn`t the first time the state sacrificed parks to build shopping malls, but it was the first time when people decided to protest against it. They`d had enough of the abuse and they needed to show it. So they gathered in the park and sat around the trees or right in front of the bulldozers, marching quietly against the demolition of something they cared about. It wasn`t the park they were necessarily defending, but their right to live a decent life in a democratic country, where their opinion matters in the government`s decision-making. I believe it`s quite easy for you to understand their point of view and their demands. The situation in the U.S. is not any different from Turkey`s.

But what started as a harmless protests quickly escalated to a violent, bloody clash between citizens and the authorities. Police brutality was so bad, tens of people were left dead in the street, either beaten to death or run over by bulldozers.

source: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

A Turkish blogger wrote that a cop recklessly hit a friend of hers in the head with a tear gas canister. She was taken to hospital immediately, where she went through a 3-hour operation, but she is still in critical condition and might not make it.

The police were basically mere extensions of water cannons and tear gas canisters. In fact, the amount of tear gas was so great, animals died on the street suffocated and intoxicated by it.

source: www.asianews.it

In the meanwhile, the Turkish mainstream media was passionately broadcasting news about Miss Turkey and “the strangest cat in the world”. The only channel of communication between protesters and the outside world was the Internet, also blocked with jammers placed all around the square where the protest took place.

As you`re reading this, the protest continues, and citizens insist that the prime minister and his government step down, but they strongly refuse to present their resignations.

Iceland

When the government nationalised the three largest banks in 2008, the official currency plummeted like never before and the stock market had to cease its activity  after a 76% collapse. These were the consequences of the unlawful relationship between the corrupt government and the greedy bankers, a “collaboration” that brought the country straight to bankruptcy.

America`s been in this situation for years now, and what did Obama do? He dragged the national deficit to record levels, because bankers needed to be “saved”. And Americans sat and watched while he and his corrupt fellows did just that. Now, both we and our children will have to pay from our own pockets to make up for this “salvation campaign”.

On the other hand, when Icelanders were confronted with the same situation, they took to the streets and managed not only to force the prime-minister and his government to step down… but also to get the most influential bankers in jail! How did they do that? No, they didn`t have to go through bloody clashes with the police, they weren`t pepper sprayed or run over with tanks. They simply protested peacefully for weeks in a row, until the pressure was too high for the government to ignore it any longer.

source: itmakessenseblog.com

The result? The government was changed, corrupt bankers were arrested and now Icelanders are working on a brand new Constitution together with the government. A Constitution that can guard their liberties better and secure them a decent life.

The differences between these two countries – Turkey and Iceland – are shocking. In Turkey, all it took was a few HOURS for the government to show people who`s got the power. Killing innocent citizens, beating them up on the street and blocking their access to information are measures that only a tyrannical government hiding behind a democratic curtain could take. In a democratic country, the people get to win. Their voice is heard loud and clear and their demands are taken into consideration. Iceland is the perfect example to illustrate what REAL democracy looks like.

Now, you tell me: if a massive, never-seen-before protest were to happen in the U.S. today… which country do you think we`d resemble with? Turkey or Iceland?

By Alec Deacon