chapulling

A new word in the English language has been born of this revolution: chapulling. The word comes from the Turkish çapulcu, meaning 'marauder'— a term that the Prime Minister used to refer to the protesters. The term was embraced and reappropriated by the public, and as people proudly called themselves çapulcu, the meaning of the word shifted to being "someone who stands up for their rights." The label was soon anglicized into chapuller, from which came chapulling: "to act towards taking the democracy of a nation to the next step by reminding governments of their reason for existence in a peaceful and humorous manner." Indeed, there has been plenty of chapulling around in Istanbul— one visit to Gezi Parkı and you'll see the witty slogans and comical street art, the make-shift library tents and free yoga. People standing up for what they believe in, working together, reminding their government that they should only exist to serve the people.