30 Astonishing Photos Of The Mass Protests In Turkey

What could have been a peaceful sit-in to preserve the trees of a public park in Istanbul quickly escalated and took the entire country of Turkey by storm following a violent police crack down on May 31. Since then, Turkey has been embroiled in frantic protests, distressing amounts of police brutality and vociferously vocalized fears that Prime Minister Erdogan–holding that position for ten years now–poses a threat to Turkey’s greatly-treasured secularism and democracy, two things relatively uncommon within the region. There’s been some staggering photojournalism–by professionals and civilians alike–in the month that followed. In case you’ve missed it, here’s some of the best.