Turkish police confiscate piano used to serenade Taksim Square protesters
Davide Martello, who staged 14-hour recitals during the unrest, says officials seized his piano as part of their raid on Gezi Park
Sean Michaels
The Guardian,, Monday 17 June 2013 11.50 BST
Grand stand… Davide Martello greets protesters at Taksim Square last week, before police moved in. Photograph: Tolga Bozoglu/EPA
Turkish police have reportedly confiscated a piano that was being used to serenade Istanbul's protesters. Davide Martello claims that officials seized his grand piano as part of Saturday's raid on Gezi Park.
Martello became an unlikely icon for the sit-in at Taksim Square, where thousands of people had gathered to protest the increasingly authoritarian rule of prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. On Wednesday night, the German musician wheeled his piano into the throng and began performing for the masses – staging swelling piano recitals that lasted for as long as 14 hours. He had soon attracted a huge coterie of supporters, dozens of news reports and the makings of a profitable campaign. "The idea is to inspire politicians through music," Martello told the New York Times.
On Saturday night, at Erdoğan's order, police moved into Taksim Square, violently clearing the protesters. "The Turkish police seized my piano, my car and my Iphone. I need help!!!" Martello, 31, posted on Facebook. The only reason he escaped arrest, he said, was "because I have an angel with me". Speaking to the Times, Martello recalled the lead-up to the confrontation: " started rolling my piano down to [my car on] the street and suddenly got caught in a thick cloud of tear gas. I couldn't believe it."
As the clouds cleared, he tried to begin playing, just "on the side of the street". "But then police appeared," Martello said. He was told to take his belongings from his vehicle and leave the area; officials have apparently taken the car, trailer and piano away. The German said he is in negotiations to get his items back, but "it's quite likely that the Turkish authorities won't give it back for free :(".
According to his website, Martello aims to bring his piano to every capital city in the world. So far, he only seems to have done Athens, Podgorica, Ljubljana, Budapest, Monaco, Tirana and Istanbul. "I just need my piano back before I decide whether I'll stay [in Istanbul any] longer," he said.
