[PHOTOGRAPHY / THE 555K PROTESTS / THE FIRST ACTS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE / THE EARLIEST STUDENT MOVEMENTS IN TURKEY] A collection of 38 gelatine silver photos documenting the 555K protests in 1960, the first example of civil disobedience in Turkey

COMPLETE TITLE: [PHOTOGRAPHY / THE 555K PROTESTS / THE FIRST ACTS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE / THE EARLIEST STUDENT MOVEMENTS IN TURKEY / THE ROAD TO 1960 COUP D’ETAT] A collection of 38 gelatine silver photos documenting the 555K protests in 1960, the first example of civil disobedience in the political history of Turkey, before and after the 1960 Coup.

N. A.

Ankara, May & June 1960.

Original 38 b/w gelatine silvers. The sizes are 10,5x7,5 & 10x7 cm, captured on the blank versos in pencil, blue and black inks, in Turkish. A very good and bright collection.

Extremely rare and unpublished original 38 loose gelatine silver photos taken from a civil home in Ankara, documenting the 555K protests, the first example of civil disobedience in the political history of Turkey. The photographs are captured in pen on the blank versos and grouped day by day including the snapshots of events on 5 May (11 photos), 12 May (18 photos), 20 June (8 photos), and 22 June (1 photo) of 1960.

In photographs dating from before the 1960 coup, student groups can be seen gathered at Kızılay Square, participating in protests the ruling party of the period, the Democrat Party. The images show marches, rallies, protest banners directed at the government, and police units who occasionally used force and tear gas against the students. The rare and previously unpublished photographs also capture the scuffles that occurred during these demonstrations. In the few remaining images, soldiers can be seen marching triumphantly after the 1960 coup. It appears that nearly all the photographs were taken from similar angles probably from a home or office located at Kızılay Square.

HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE: The 555K protests were the first example of civil disobedience in the history of Turkey, one of the early global student movements, which Louis Althusser regarded as highly significant as well. They were organised by students for 5 pm on 5 May 1960 in Kızılay, Ankara, to protest the ruling Democrat Party.

The 28-29 April events, during which two students were killed in clashes with police, created a highly tense atmosphere across the country. In response, a group of young people organized a protest under the watchword "555K" (scheduled for 5 pm on 5 May in Kızılay) though the exact starting point and details were unknown to participants.

At the agreed time, activists, including Turkish poet Cemal Süreya and journalist Altan Öymen initiated the protest themselves around half past five, whistling the Plevna March as they marched. Pedestrians cleared the way, some joining the group, which grew steadily as it reached Zafer Square and returned to Kızılay. By then, police were stationed to disperse the demonstrators, intervening as scattered echoes of the march continued throughout the square.

Nearby, President Celal Bayar, Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, and Assembly Speaker Refik Koraltan arrived from the Assembly. Menderes confronted the protesters angrily, challenging them with shouts of "Are you going to kill me? Come on, kill me!" The students responded, "We are not murderers; the government are murderers!" The police eventually got Menderes into a vehicle, breaking through the crowd to leave the square.

During the protest, Menderes reportedly asked a student what they wanted. One student, possibly Deniz Baykal or Vedat Dalokay, grabbed the Prime Minister's collar and answered, "We want freedom!" Menderes remarked, "You're holding onto the collar of the Prime Minister. Is there any greater freedom than that?"

Afterward, martial law was tightened, gatherings of more than ten people were banned in Ankara, broadcast restrictions were imposed, and protesters were detained. Statements by Democratic Party officials became harsher, with calls to punish participants. About twenty days later, on 27 May, the 1960 Turkish coup d'état occurred, the first military intervention in the republic's history. Cemal Süreya later commemorated the protest in his poem 555K.