The Starbucks or Burger King raid and modernity

As you are aware, a group in Diyarbakır occupied a Starbucks and a Burger King under the pretext of protesting Israel, and if the allegations are true, security guards simply watched the activists.

The claim that the purpose of this action is truly to protest Israel is questionable; here is why:

If the goal were truly to protest Israel's massacres in Gaza, there would be no need for such a rogue action; an organized action plan would be prepared in advance, and rest assured, there are perhaps thousands of people in Diyarbakır ready for such an action.

What we have here is an attack on Diyarbakır's modernity under the guise of condemning Israel.

Has anyone been to Diyarbakır recently?

This ancient city has made very significant strides in the last 20 years; it has developed independently of the generally bigoted structure of Turkey's east, and because it has managed to maintain and develop modernity in its own way, it has become a target for those who are uncomfortable with this.

Do not forget that a similar action was carried out at a similar cafe in Diyarbakır months ago.

The activists are targeting the region's modern structure by using Israel as an excuse; they choose modern shopping centers and the cafes and fast-food restaurants within these centers where young people mostly congregate; the slogans they chant are a clear expression of this.

Doesn't this indifference from security guards, who are usually ready at any moment to intervene in any possible demonstration in Diyarbakır with water cannons, tell you something?

Diyarbakır is a city of culture in the east of Turkey that neither the government nor conservative circles have been able to fully control; its thousands-year-old history, cultural accumulation, commercial vitality, and recently developing tourism draw the ire of fanatics. And the city's residents, just like the people of İzmir, always vote against the government.

If Diyarbakır's legendary Police Chief Gaffar Okkan had not been subjected to a highly organized armed attack—in which dozens of Kalashnikovs and hundreds of bullets were used and the secret power behind which has still not been revealed—and were still alive, he would be the one to tell you the truth of the matter; his silencing was for this very reason.

These types of actions are anti-modernity actions disguised as protests against Israel, and the choice of Diyarbakır is no coincidence.