ERGENEKON ST. IN ISTANBUL RENAMED HRANT DINK ST.
Armenian Weekly
January 20, 2010
ISTANBUL, Turkey (A.W.)-On Jan. 19, which marks the third anniversary
of the assassination of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
Ergenekon Street in Istanbul was renamed "Hrant Dink Caddesi" (Hrant
Dink street).
The changing of the signs The street, near the editorial offices
of Agos, the newspaper edited by Dink, was full of hundreds who had
gathered under the rain to witness the name change.
In Turkish mythology, Ergenekon is a mythical place in the Altay
Mountains, where the ancestors of Turks are all killed. Only one child
survives and is brought up by a wolf and his descendents inhabit the
valley until their numbers increase and they need to find a way out.
They manage to drill a hole in the mountain and, again, a wolf leads
them out of the valley.
Ergenekon is a much-cherished legend by Turkish extremists, and a
Kemalist ultra-nationalist group in Turkey has assumed that name. The
group, with strong ties in the military and bureaucracy is currently
under investigation in Turkey for numerous crimes, including the
assassination of Hrant Dink.
Protesters holding a sign that says, "Clean up the feces of your
vigilantes," in reference to the ultra-nationalists for whom Ergenekon
and the wolf are important symbols.
According to reports, a group called Art for Peace organized the
changing of the street signs. The group requested a meeting with Sisli
Mayor Mustafa Sarigul to officially change the name of the street,
but it was not possible to hold the meeting before Jan. 19, the group
said in a leaflet it distributed to the crowd in Sisli. Members of
the group changed the name of the street themselves without waiting
for the meeting.