The other day (02.06.2012) I was in Canakkale, walking down the esplanade by the Dardanelles, when I saw five student protesters, peacefully sitting on the sidewalk and chanting. (Somebody from the crowd told me they were protesting university-fee hikes). More than a dozen policemen had already surrounded them. When the students refused to get up, the police jumped on them with unrestrained brutality. “Torture is ignominy! Demanding free education is not a crime!” one of the guys shouted, pinned to the ground.