A relaxing afternoon

28 November  2015

Today the effects of the unrest in the region were also felt in Gaziantep.
This shortly after a prominent lawyer and human rights defender, who faced a criminal charge for supporting Kurdish rebels, was killed in an attack in Diyarbakir, south-east Turkey. Tahir Elci was shot while he was making a press statement.

A protest broke out shortly afterwards in Gaziantep about 500 metres from our hotel. A large crowd started gathering denouncing the killing. The finer details of the killing and the protest I did not know at this time. Beside some yelling and speeches, which I of course could not understand, it seemed to be a peaceful protest.

Police officers and two special units kept a watchful eye on the protesters. We saw a water canon which was kept on standby should the protest get out of hand, but we were able to safely leave our hotel to go and enjoy a free afternoon. I later learned that the crowd had dispersed peacefully while we were away.

The intervention team and I spent the afternoon in the city centre, doing some shopping and relaxing.

During this afternoon I tried not to be occupied by thoughts of work and war. I did relax but the protest close to our hotel and a young boy roaming the city streets all by himself, made it hard to forget.

The boy, I guess about 8 years old, was strolling through the centre carrying a black refuge bag over his shoulder.  He was picking up garbage from the streets and some people passing by handed him money.

Later a Turkish man tried to explain to me what the protest was all about and why more and more people were gathering on the streets. It was hard communicating as he couldn’t speak English and I don’t speak his language. I didn’t understand much of what he said. I think he knew, because instead he showed me a video on You Tube of the shooting earlier that day.

After this clumsy conversation, I kept thinking about the young boy. I was wondering what the rest of his life will be like and if this war will ever end.

Although St Augustine* wrote that "the purpose of all war, is peace", at the end of the first week of my mission, I can’t help but thinking “what is the case with this war?”

(* St Augustine - Ancient Roman Christian Theologian and Bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430)