Outside Istanbul’s prestigious Boğaziçi University, hundreds of students gathered throughout January chanting slogans calling for independence and academic freedom. The words that rang across the campus included “We do not accept, we do not give up!” and “Boğaziçi is ours, it will be free with us!”

The demonstrations, which have made headlines around the world, began peacefully, with students demanding the resignation of the institution’s new rector Melih Bulu — a former politician with the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP), handpicked for the role by the conservative government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Then, in early February, police scattered the crowds using riot shields and pepper spray.

What started as a series of on-campus actions against an undemocratic appointment has now morphed into a protest movement in solidarity with Turkey's increasingly embattled LGBTQ+ community, which has spread to cities including Ankara and Izmir. 

Over the past five weeks, the protests have taken many forms, from mass meditation and yoga sessions in front of the rector’s office to free open-air lectures by professors. They even included the collective singing of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” after students discovered Bulu’s love of the band.