18 01 2008 - you have to seek to destroy the hope of democracy in Turkey.

Brooding on the blood flag
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
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Brooding on the blood flag
PROUD: The students from a high school in central Anatolian city of Kırşehir, who sent Chief of Staff General Yaşar Büyükanıt a flag painted with their own blood say they are very happy with Büyükanıt's remarks about them. DHA photo

Our hands holding pens must henceforth wield weapons. We want to reach the honor of martyrdom too, write 20 students in the age range of 16-17, half of them females, from a high school in Kırşehir, who presented the letter to Turkey's top General with a Turkish flag painted with their own blood. Turkey lived with terrorism in the past, but such reaction is new, deserving attention on its causes MUSTAFA OĞUZANKARA - Turkish Daily News Questions on sentimental, patriotic or nationalist displays of behavior are resurfacing once again with the dramatic move by 20 high school students from the central Anatolian town of Kırşehir, who pricked their fingers with pins for two months to paint a Turkish flag with their own blood, going on to frame it and present it to the head of the Turkish Armed Forces.
A surge of nationalism is the first explanation that springs to mind to explain this kind of behavior, while experts agree that today it can bring about different results that it did in the past. Nilüfer Narlı, professor of sociology at BahçeÅŸehir University, points to the differences of the new nationalist wave that has swept the country in recent years; mainly due to rising terrorist attacks of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) against military personnel and civilians. "Especially since September there has been lot of media coverage of martyr's funerals," said Narlı in a telephone interviewwith the Turkish Daily News. Media are not the only actors bringing the issue forward excessively. "Nongovernmental organizations emphasize it as well. And nationalist feelings in high schools and universities rise as a result," said Abbas Güçlü, a columnist and education expert at the daily Milliyet. Widespread media and civil society focus on martyrs' funerals in turn can be a stimulus for psychological reactions such as those seen in the students from KırÅŸehir. Chair of the Psychology Department of Ankara University Professor Ali DÃnmez said feelings of anxiety trigger such behavior. "People do not feel safe in a state of perceived ambiguity," he said. New media amplify threat perceptions Displays of fervent nationalism are nothing new in Turkey but they have changed with today's technological environment, according to experts. "In the 1990s, terrorist attacks were considered local events, that required reaction from local security forces. Today, everybody feels responsible," Narlı said. People with flags hit the streets and public uproar was expressed in the streets during September and November said Narlı. "People from seven to 70 years old have been mobilized," she said. Sharing responsibility in a sentimental manner is something that can be positive, according to Güçlü. "Nationalist feelings were in decline and those who claimed to be nationalists were even disdained," he said. But Turkey must be aware of the possible negative results of this surge as well, he added. "If these sentiments are not controlled, they may be a source of headache for Turkey in the future. We must remember that the rule of law is the basic tenet of our country. People should not take matters into their own hands," Güçlü said. Narlı also said that protesting against and displaying reactions against terrorism are necessary, but citizens must stick to peaceful methods of protest. DÃnmez echoed her warning that nationalist sentiments can take a different and more dangerous turn. "We are not in a world war or something like that. This is a struggle against a terrorist organization," DÃnmez said. Threat perception is a crucial factor in explaining the magnitude of general public reaction that is currently outmatching anything witnessed in the 1990s, according to Narlı. "There is a massive amount of concern over territorial disintegration. It is regarded as a threat used in explanation of the slowdown of the European Union reform process since 2005," Narlı said, adding that new communication techniques cause reactions to flare up as well, influencing youth during their political socialization. "Young people make efficient use of the Internet and organize online discussion forums," Narlı said. Reaction veils a thorny future The way students' nationalist reactions have been expressed, namely in emphasizing blood spilling and martyrdom, stems from a lack of common values around which Turkish youth can gather, said Güçlü. "Football games and martyr funerals are two phenomena that particularly attract their collective attention," he said. Students involved in the blood painting of the flag told the daily Sabah that they met outside school over a period of two months in order to finish their gift to Gen. YaÅŸar Büyükanıt. Students also said that they wanted to hold weapons instead of pens in the letter they presented along with the blood-painted flag. Their expressions of bravery and self-sacrifice for the country however, mask a grave reality that contradicts nationalist fervor. "If we gave them weapons and sent them to the front line, they would go. But a survey tells us that 70 percent of young people would choose to live abroad if they had the opportunity," Güçlü said. "What do the politicians give the country's youth? They finish high school and university under strenuous conditions and end up jobless," he said. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=93730 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hrant Dink : « Now they kill », said on january 19, 2007 the historian Yves Ternon One year behind, the French historian, Yves Ternon (Armenians, History of Genocide, 1977), very shocked by the murder of the Turkish-Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink, assassinated of three bullets of revolver in front of the Agos's entry newspaper by the ultra nationalist Ogun Samast, declared at the press: « Now they kill. Assassins! » « Are you thus stupid Nobody stops the words with bullets. It's the future of your country which you compromised by killing this Turk who said the truth. He was of Armenian origin, certainly, but it's as a Turkish citizen that he was expressed. This man will become a legend. You are thus not able to understand that your negationnism produces opposite effects. Since one century you have all tried to deny the Armenians's Genocide of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and 1916: accuse the victims, to erase the memory of an exterminated people, let to blackmail the nations, gag your public opinion, imprison your most honourable citizens. He will to put up himself and become the stone statue of Commander, a truth block which accuses. Assassins! By killing it, you have to seek to destroy the hope of democracy in Turkey. In the name of the truth, in the name of the courage to say, I greet you, Hrant Dink, you that fought for the freedom of a word. » A world's Armenian homage to Hrant Dink is available by loading on the website www.armenianmemorial.com

J.E