Hello, thanks for listening to the witness history podcast from the BBC World Service with

Medial Curzley. I'm taking you back to 2013 when the Gezi part protests led to civil unrest

across Turkey. This is the story of one man whose social media post led to a dramatic

outcome.

That's Mehmet Ali Alibora. He was an activist and a famous actor in Turkey. He had appeared

in TV dramas, feature films and stage productions. Gezi Park was one of the few green spaces in Istanbul.

There were plans to build a shopping mall on the park and destroy the trees. In 2012 Mehmet was

one of the first people to sign a petition to stop the development. Then in May 2013, environmentalists

had gathered in the park for a peaceful protest. Mehmet joined them.

It wasn't even a protest. It was a watch. But it was fun. People were reading poems. Some people were

on the grass. People were dancing. Things were fun. People were chanting. It felt safe.

It felt happy. But that was a fear. Over the next few days, news of the protests spread.

And as word got round, more people went to the park. Tensions grew when the police

used tear gas against the protesters. It was now more than just about a green space. It was becoming an

anti-government protest. All kinds of groups have joined the Gezi bandwagon from gay rights

campaigners, to trade unionists and old-style leftists. On the 30th of May, Mehmet spent the day

peacefully protesting with friends. That evening, he went on Twitter and posted a message that

would change his life. My tweet said, the matter is not just Gezi Park. Haven't you still

realised my friend? Come. Hashtag resist Gezi Park. This is probably one of the most notorious

tweets of all time in Turkey. Because this was used by pro-government media and the government

officials themselves as a proof that Gezi Park protests were not innocent environmental

protests, but attempted coup. And my tweet was the proof. But actually, what was happening that

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