I did initially think it was staged by the way it happened (and the framing of it), but I don't know enough about the situation for anything definitive on that angle.
Pretty much all my Turkish and German friends on Facebook are flipping out about this. Erdoğan has been trying it for a few years now, and whether this coup was staged or not, it totally played into his hands. On one hand he does seem to have a lot of genuine grassroots supporters, but the way he has been trying to silence his opposition is shameful. A lot of progressive Turks are hurting right now and I don't know how to help them. I visited Istanbul a few years back and walking around there I thought I was seeing the future of Europe, an example for the rest of us to follow. I still remember Obama visiting back in 2009. For some reason that seemed like a really big deal. With how things have gone lately I am much less optimistic :(
my coworker turned on the news in the breakroom when he heard this was happening last week. one of the old racists said "we should do that" yep. Robert Mugabe tortures opposition activists and LGBT citizens (including rape-by-proxy; my sister has worked with a Zimbabwean refugee who was subjected to this). Erdogan suppresses free speech. Kim Jong-un, like his predecessors, sends entire families to prison camps for three generations over the smallest infraction. and that Obama, making us get healthcare. evil.
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I did initially think it was staged by the way it happened (and the framing of it), but I don't know enough about the situation for anything definitive on that angle.
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yep. Robert Mugabe tortures opposition activists and LGBT citizens (including rape-by-proxy; my sister has worked with a Zimbabwean refugee who was subjected to this). Erdogan suppresses free speech. Kim Jong-un, like his predecessors, sends entire families to prison camps for three generations over the smallest infraction. and that Obama, making us get healthcare. evil.
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