Remote-controlled helicopter and camera give a bird’s-eye view of the Turkey protests

Istanbul’s Taksim square has been the focal point of ongoing demonstrations and civil unrest in Turkey — and like most protests in recent years, technology and social media are playing a major role. Take this video shot and uploaded to Vimeo by a man known as Jenk. Smartphones have given citizens the ability to quickly record and share events like the Turkey protests, but Jenk took things a step further by mounting a camera to a remote-controlled helicopter and flying it around Taksim square for a unique viewpoint on the turmoil. The bird’s-eye view gives a clear view of the mass of gathered protesters as well as the abundant riot police in the area, and even has footage of the police blasting protesters with hoses. Unfortunately, the police then shot down Jenk’s camera, irreparably damaging both the helicopter and the camera itself. But while Jenk’s home-made surveillance drone may be grounded, it wouldn’t surprise us to see others try and shoot similar footage of their own.