Posts
“Hey
World! New tactic by the Turkish Police. They've pulled out of Taksim
in Istanbul, and they're leaving the protesters alone in a few other
big cities, because that's where the international media has cameras.
They want you to think the brutality has stopped.
“It
hasn't.
“It's
escalated in smaller towns all over Turkey. What they aren't doing in
Taksim right now, they're doing twice as much in Adana, Antakya,
Eskisehir, and dozens of other cities across Turkey.”
--via
Facebook
Protesters
present demands to Turkish government
Anti-government
protesters in Turkey have presented a set of demands to the
government as striking trade unionists joined protests in major
cities.
6
June, 2013
Fresh
clashes erupted as protesters defied a government plea to end days of
unrest, the biggest challenge yet to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan's decade-long rule.
Police
used tear gas and water cannon on demonstrators who ignored warnings
to disperse in several major cities, including Istanbul and Ankara.
Thousands
joined protests to demand that Mr Erdogan resign.
The
government invited the environmental campaigners who sparked the
protests to discuss their grievances, which stemmed from plans to
redevelop a park in Istanbul.
Activists
presented demands to deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, including
the sacking of police chiefs, a ban on the use of tear gas, the
release of detained protesters, the sacking of Istanbul's governor,
and the scrapping of the plans for the redevelopment of Gezi Park,
which is part of Taksim Square.
Mr
Arinc is standing in for Mr Erdogan who is on an overseas trip. On
Tuesday, he sought to defuse tensions by apologising for the tough
police handling of the initial demonstrations.
Fresh
clashes
New
trouble flared after a second major trade union confederation
announced it would join protests against the government, calling a
strike for Wednesday.
Thousands
gathered in Istanbul's main Taksim Square for a sixth day early on
Wednesday, yelling defiance at Mr Erdogan, who has dismissed the
protesters as "extremists" and "vandals".
Mr
Arinc's apology did not appease outraged demonstrators who have been
on the streets since Friday to protest at the policies of Mr Erdogan,
seen as increasingly authoritarian figure in Turkey.
They
accuse the prime minister, who has won three successive elections, of
imposing conservative Islamic reforms on the predominantly Muslim,
but constitutionally secular nation.
The
nationwide turmoil first erupted on Friday after police tear-gassed
demonstrators at a peaceful rally against plans to build on a park in
Istanbul, one of the world's most visited cities.
Two
people have been killed in the clashes, officials and doctors say,
and rights groups say thousands have been injured. The government
puts the figure at around 300.
The
atmosphere in Taksim late on Tuesday was initially festive, with
Turkish pipe music and singing blaring over speakers and fans from
rival football teams linking arms, before police fired tear gas and
water cannon.
Dozens
arrested in Turkey over protest tweets, accused of 'inciting hatred'
Turkish police have detained at least 25 Twitter users for allegedly spreading false reports, as anti-government demonstrations in Turkey continue for a sixth day.
RT,
5
June, 2013
Social
media activists have been accused of using Twitter to “instigate
public hatred and animosity,” according to Turkish media. Police
raided 38 addresses to locate the suspects.
The
activists were arrested early Wednesday in the western city of Izmir.
Police said that their tweets contained “misleading and libelous
information,” state-run news agency Anatolia reported. However, Ali
Engin, an official from the main opposition Republican People’s
Party (CHP), said that they were detained for urging people to
protest.
Police
tracked down the activists through their IP addresses, and were
reportedly able to locate most of them. CHP said that they have sent
lawyers to assist the arrested individuals.
The
lawyers revealed to the media that police files on the individuals
included tweets about where to meet, about police actions, and about
the names of volunteer doctors and lawyers.
Earlier
on Tuesday, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc apologized for
the treatment of protesters during riots that grew out of a
demonstration last Friday against the planned demolition of Taksim
Gezi Park to build a mall. The police use of teargas and pepper spray
to disperse protesters has been heavily criticized.
Arinc
said that the police’s actions were wrong, and that security forces
have been ordered not to use teargas except in cases of self-defense.
"The excessive violence that was used in the first instance
against those who were behaving with respect for the environment is
wrong and unfair. I apologize to those citizens," Arinc said at
a news conference on Tuesday.
After
unrest began last Friday, tens of thousands of anti-government
protesters held demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Mugla,
Antalya, and many other cities and towns across Turkey. At least two
people were killed and thousands were injured in the nationwide
protests.
The
demonstrations continued on Wednesday, with protesters surrounding
the offices of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
Twitter
and other social networks have played a big role in helping
demonstrators organize and share developments; the Turkish media has
been roundly criticized for failing to cover the protests as they
unfolded.
Prime
Minister Erdogan has condemned social media’s role in the riots,
singling out what he called the “scourge” of Twitter.
“There
is now a menace which is called Twitter," Erdogan said on
Sunday, dismissing the protests as being organized by extreme
elements. "The best examples of lies can be found there. To me,
social media is the worst menace to society."
Turkish
police clamp down on anti-government protests: LIVE UPDATES
RT,
5
June, 2013
At
least two people have been killed and thousands injured as Turkey is
rocked by its biggest wave of anti-government protests in years.
Ankara has been criticized for its crackdown on the protests, while
it seeks to downplay the demonstrations.
Wednesday,
June 5
19:40
GMT:
Turkish President Abdullah Gül has indicated that a bill intended to
restrict alcohol consumption and sales in Turkey might not be
approved. The controversial legislation has widely been seen as one
of the triggers for the ongoing protests in Turkey, where protesters
have often cited the country’s lack of respect for lifestyles that
fall outside of conservative ruling party’s own definition of
Turkish identity.
15:28
GMT:
A third protester, Ethem Sarısülük, died from head wounds
sustained during clashes in the capital city Ankara that sprang from
the Taksim Gezi Park protests, a representative of the Turkish
Medical Association (TTB) said. Earlier, two people died in related
clashes: 22-year-old Abdullah Comert, a branch member of the
Republican People’s Party (CHP), was killed in Antakya on June 3,
and 20-year-old Mehmet Ayvalıtas was hit and killed by a car that
plowed into protesters on June 2.
13:10
GMT:
Taksim
getting crowded with unions now pic.twitter.com/weXq3XNUaK
18
РЕТВИТОВ 1
ИЗБРАННОЕ
11:05
GMT:
Activists have presented a list of demands to end the ongoing
anti-government demonstrations. Protesters are demanding the
government halt redevelopment plans for Istanbul’s Taksim Square
that would uproot trees in Gezi Park. They are also calling for a ban
on the use of teargas by police, the immediate release of all
detained protesters, and the lifting of restrictions on freedom of
expression and assembly. Their final demand is that officials
responsible for the violent crackdown be removed from office,
including governors and senior police officials.
08:14
GMT:
RT correspondent Irina Galushko reports from Istanbul that protests
and sit-ins are continuing in Taksim, as nationwide protests enter
their sixth day.
RT
Photo
RT
Photo
2:14
GMT:
Nurettin Yigit Gultekin, a Turkish activist and also one of the many
individuals who has been at the receiving end of tear gas deployed by
police, spoke with RT regarding the use of gas as well as water
cannons against demonstrators.
"They
want to create fear, and anxiety over the nation. Personally I can
say that Turkish media, who remain silent over the use of excessive
force by police forces,"
says Gultekin.
"It
reduced my vision... and since I have asthma, during the events I
have had multiple, severe asthma attacks. And I can say that the main
provokers are the police and the government,"
he added.
In
response to Prime Minister Erdogan calling the protesters "looters"
and "extremists," Gultekin dismissed the claims and said
that protests are only peaceful.
"Well,
for this event, for this wonderful event, people from different
backgrounds are coming together, and this is something really
important and new for our nation. To call us looters and extremists
he has to prove it with evidence,"
says Gultekin.
"This
matter has become more than just about saving a bunch of trees...
they cannot scare us, we are the people, we are the nation, we are
Turkey. They cannot change that, they know that. This is a peaceful
event, we do not do any harm to anyone, or anything."
Gultekin added that, as a protester, he expected the Turkish
government to offer an apology, and to grant the country its freedom
of speech.
1:03
GMT:
Three tech-savvy Turkish professionals have successfully bypassed the
funding goal on their project to publish a full-age, front section
advertisement in The New York Times in support of the ongoing
protests in that country.
The online fundraiser quickly
surpassed the $30,00 threshold, with $2,500 per hour in donations
logged in the project’s first day, surpassing $85,000 just 36 hours
after launching.
The three men, entrepreneur and investor Murat
Aktihanoglu, angel investor and World Bank advisor Oltac Unsal and UI
designer Duygu Atacan, were moved to action after what they perceived
as a heavy-handed police response to demonstrators, and a dearth of
news coverage by the country’s press.
Tears
for Fears: US cashes in on teargas amid Turkey brutal turmoil
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