On this grey Wednesday afternoon, the bright yellow Pikachus are the first to catch the eye. One student is wearing a Pikachu cap, another is wearing a kind of cape with the famous Pokémon’s face on the hood. A third student has made a mask out of an empty cereal box. It all refers to a video of a protester in a Pikachu suit that went viral worldwide. The video shows people in the Turkish city of Antalya fleeing from the police. Since then, young protesters have often used the Pokémon in demonstrations against the Turkish regime – including at this protest on Woudestein campus.
“You might be wondering why we’re standing here”, a student shouts through a megaphone to students passing by, most of whom don’t really stop to listen. “Erdoğan abuses his power. Journalists are being arrested, students who protest are detained. We – young people – have never known any government but his. I’m not proud of the country I come from right now. I want to tell people about all the beauty it has, but we refuse to accept this!”
What the protesters refuse to accept is the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, along with around a hundred others. Imamoglu is officially suspected of bribery, fraud, supporting a terrorist organisation and leading a criminal organisation. Before his arrest, he was president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main opponent. Recently, his university degree was also revoked. In Turkey, such a degree is required to run for president. A year ago, Imamoglu was re-elected mayor with a decisive victory over Erdoğan’s party’s candidate. This was seen as a historic defeat for the Turkish president.
Afraid of the consequences
“The right to protest safely is in the constitution, but ours is no longer worth anything”, says Yaren, a second-year Business Administration student. She’s holding a sign that reads ‘Free speech is a fundamental right’. The student is originally from Turkey and knows people who have protested against Erdoğan in the past month. “The whole situation may seem complex to some, but the core is simple: we want rights. The right to democracy, the right to protest safely – have you heard about the woman who was groped by police after her arrest? Women are not safe.”
Yaren says she fears the consequences of taking part in the protest, and doesn’t want to be recognisable in photos. “The police could show up at your parents’ house”, says another student passing by. “One day I’d like to return to Turkey”, Yaren says. Not only to see her family, but also to live there. “But what future do I have under this regime? Your rights mean nothing, and even financially you’re better off staying here. We do want to support the protests in Turkey, that’s why we’re here.”
First-year Arts and Culture student Esma is now wearing the Pikachu cape. She’s been to protests in both Turkey and the Netherlands, for example on International Women’s Day. “Well, things are much calmer here in the Netherlands, much more easy-going”, she says. “If I were in Turkey now, I would have joined the protests too, so my parents are glad I’m here. Friends of mine have been arrested, sprayed in the face with pepper spray – one was nearly beaten up by the police. He only just managed to escape, he told me.”
Meanwhile, the group of students has grown from twenty to over thirty. Some stop by briefly, others bring signs. ‘One man shows are for Netflix, not nations’ reads one pink sign. ‘Turks just wanna have fun-damental rights’ reads another. Most students walk past the protest, some look up and read the signs. The group remains determined, chanting: “1, 2, 3, Let students free!”
