Dear ISIT Participant,
As you may well be aware, there is an ongoing sit-in protest in Taksim Square, Istanbul. The protest is about a road construction and renovation project which calls for cutting down a large number of trees and demolishing a park. The protest has triggered street demonstrations in many cities around Turkey and has not yet subsided. Demonstrations continue to take place at Taksim Square especially in the late afternoon and evening hours. There are no clashes between the protesters and the police on or near Taksim Square. The shops are open and business runs as usual in the area. The Istanbul Conference and Exhibition Center (ICEC), where ISIT 2013 will take place, is about 1 km from Taksim Square and is safely away from the scene of the protests. The conference hotels which are at Talimhane district are 200-500 m away from the Taksim Square and there have been no reported cases of disturbance to the hotels or their guests. We are hoping that by the time of ISIT, the protests will come to an end. You may find the latest travel advisories issued by various governments here.
We will be updating you here as events develop.
Erdal Arıkan – Elza Erkip, ISIT 2013 Co-Chairs
Gerhard Kramer, President IT Society
One thought on “ISIT notice from the organizers on the protest”
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An Ergodic Walk 
I’m a little surprised it took them this long to say something. I’m going — I’m staying at the Hilton, which is closest to the conference venue and furthest from the protests. Plus, it’s in its own compound — I was there for ICC 2006. But if I was staying at the Intercontinental (which faces right on to Gezi Park), I’d probably change my reservation. Anyway, hopefully it will all blow over — not least because the cool parts of Beyoglu are on the opposite side of Taksim Square from the hotels.