◆ INTERNATIONAL
Turkish students fight for autonomy and democracy Millennial and Gen Z students at Istanbul's Boğaziçi University are writing history, not only by resisting heavy-handed police violence, mass detentions, and arrests for defending democratic rights in Turkey, but also for showing how to do it in style. Gallup conducted a study among Millennials in 2016 and concluded that 'Millennials will decisively change the world more than any other generation.' These tech-savvy generations take active roles in recent global pro-democracy demonstrations, ranging from Hong Kong to Thailand. Recently, Myanmar (after the coup) and Turkish youth joined their peers’ ranks.
Why are students protesting? Boğaziçi University students have been in demonstrations since 4 January 2021 due to a trustee (in Turkish 'Kayyum,' referring to an unelected political appointee) rector’s appointment, a businessman and member of the ruling conservative AK Party. My alma mater, Boğaziçi University, established in 1863, is one of Turkey’s most prestigious universities.
Prof. Dilek Cetindamar, University of Technology, Sydney
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ADVOCATE VOL. 28 NO. 1 ◆ MARCH 2021
Most of its students are among the top 1,000 students entering the university exam each year, where around two million students compete. Its graduates serve significant senior roles across industries; for example, 60% of the top 500 companies’ senior managers are alumni of the university. These students found plagiarism in his doctoral dissertation and essays in the first week of his illegitimate appointment. Students have been exercising various peaceful protests every day and inviting the appointed rector to resign during the past month, parallel to the Boğaziçi University academicians’ protests. Its graduates support them. A survey among the university alumni points out that 99% of them favour elected rectors, and another survey shows that 70% of citizens reject the idea of a political person’s appointment. The demonstrations have spread widely across many Turkish universities, becoming a demand for the 'Autonomous and Democratic University' movement.
