Turkey Reacts

Deniz Topaktas, is a 24-year-old translator that is taking part in the Istanbul protests that started in May 2013. Along with her boyfriend, Erken, who's a lawyer they are the new generation of Turks that come from low-class families, but managed to study and are now climbing up the social ladder. Tayyip Erdogan though, the conservative Turkish PM, is attacking their modern lifestyle, as he pushes for laws against freedom of press, public kissing, constrain Internet access, and alcohol consumption in public. In May and June 2013, it is estimated that 3.5 million of Turkey's 80 million people took part in almost 5000 demonstrations across Turkey connected with the original Gezi Park protest. Five people were killed from police's violent actions, 11 others lost their eyes from plastic bullets, and more than 8000 were injured. Since May 2013, Turkey has been frequently rocked by violent protests. As accusations on corruption from Erdogan's party have increased, the dissatisfaction is increasing. The protests have been compared to the Occupy movement and the May 1968 events and are changing Turkey's face forever.

Nikos Pilos is an award-winning photojournalist and one of Europe’s noted feature photographers. He has traveled extensively to document war, natural disasters, poverty, socioeconomic struggle and cultural shifts. His work regularly appears in leading international newspapers and magazines and has been exhibited throughout Europe and U.S.Since his first assignment in Lebanon in 1988, he has covered almost all the major historical events at Balkans, Middle East, Maghreb and Eastern Europe. The last two years he is dedicated into the realization of the cross media interactive platform THE REFUGE