Two photographs from the 19 March Protests/Uprising, which I participated in during my final year of undergraduate studies in Turkey, were the two most significant events I have ever been part of in my life. This protests began with the president falsely declaring the university diploma of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, who is seen as the only rival in the upcoming elections and the future presidential candidate, to disqualify him from the candidacy and send him to prison. This sparked significant public backlash against the government's oppressive and authoritarian regime, culminating in the 19 March Protests/Uprising. These two photographs are from the protests, in which I also participated as a demonstrator. oppressive, one-man regime government, and the ensuing major clashes between the police forces, acting on government orders, attempting to disperse the people with inhumane violence and methods. These two photographs were taken by me during two different protests in which I participated as an activist. The first photo is from the Action Committee at Middle East Technical University (METU), where I completed my degree this year and was also a member. In this frame, I captured the METU Action Committee, one of the most influential groups at our university, recognised nationwide and formed by students from other universities across the country, discussing the protest action plan decisions to be collectively taken with all students for the night protests to be held at our school. In this frame, all students are seen discussing with the police during the night clashes how to remain anonymous (not be exposed), be less affected by pepper spray, and avoid getting cold. We also see that they are wearing protective masks and listening to the ideas of a student representative who is on the podium at that moment. The main reason this meeting was held at night in the Physics Faculty was that, at that time, the police forces, who had been allowed by the rector to enter the campus illegally, were patrolling outside and arresting all students they saw (especially those they suspected of participating in the protests). The thing that gave us hope during our meeting, which took place in secrecy and fear, was both the presence of our fellow students from our own university, and the news that students from other universities, upon hearing about the unauthorised and illegal random arrests taking place on our campus, had come from their own campuses and were engaging in direct confrontation with the police at the main entrance gate of the campus. It was also the encouraging words of every student striving to improve our protest action plan and achieve a successful outcome.
The second photograph shows a student banner I saw during the civil protests in Ankara's main square, Kızılay Square, where I and my colleagues from the department participated. The message on the banner carried a truly significant meaning. The group that made the most noise and had the greatest impact during the 19 March Protests, in which almost the entire population of the capital participated, clashed directly with the police, and defended rights, law, and justice, was Turkey's Gen Z university students, who had previously been looked down upon and whose hopes had been dashed. During the protests, almost everyone held banners containing messages that were either comical, political, or social, expressing their opposition to the government's unlawful and illegal actions. The banner I saw, however, contained a bitter truth that mocked the president's style of speech in a sarcastic manner, reflecting the final stage reached: "We will ta-ke re-ven-ge for the youth you stole from us!"
