Turkey arrests anti-government protesters

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A (distressing) video collection of some of the police brutality so far caught on film. Imagine what has gone on that was never filmed.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cBsbv0Zrzoo

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comment: 'А те 20 что умерли в больницах не в счёт'

I believe the person is saying 20 people have died in hospitals that have not been counted.

source:

http://russian.rt.com/article/10081

[Flash]

One question in this drama: how many covered women have you seen in the videos: almost none, Turkey is a very secular society. Imposing any law paramount to Sharia will not work there. It is also an old disctatorhsip country where freedom has been won in the late seventies. Guess what, it was the army who gave back the democracy then, in Turkey they are sworn into protecting the constitution at any cost, constitution written by Kemal in the beginning of the 20th century. Military will take over if the constitution is not respected and give the country back to people, at least in the books, it is what they are supposed to do. No wonder the actual president got rid of the heads of the military before starting to want to impose a new controlled political way.

[ozlemer]

True and correct. Thanks.

[naste.de.lumina]

History keeps warning us it takes just a spark to light a political bonfire. The recent spark in Istanbul was provided by a small group of very young environmentalists organizing a peaceful sit-in, Occupy-style, in Taksim Square to protest the planned destruction of one of the city center's few remaining public green spaces, Gezi park.

racket; it will be replaced by a simulacrum - in this case a replica of the Ottoman Artillery Barracks - housing, what else, yet another shopping mall. It's crucial to note that the mayor of Istanbul, also from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), owns a retail chain that will make a killing out of the mall. And the man holding the contract for this "redevelopment" is no less than Erdogan's son-in-law.'

Read more: Turkey: Erdogan's son-in-law devloper of shopping mall to go in bulldozed park!

[bruno dante]

*bump*..........................

[InCiDeR]

Erdogan returns to face protests in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's prime minister was walking a political tightrope Thursday as he headed home from a four-day trip abroad to face massive anti-government protests that have mushroomed to dozens of cities across the country.

Speaking before leaving Tunisia to fly back to Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan attempted a balancing act. He appeared to soften his tone in an effort not to inflame protesters who see him as increasingly autocratic, while not conceding enough to appear weak to the base that has helped him win three landslide elections.

Thousands of supporters thronged the airport for his arrival, chanting "We are with you, Erdogan," in the first major public show of backing for the prime minister. Hundreds marched among the cars of traffic-clogged streets towards the airport, waving Turkish flags and chanting "Istanbul don't sleep, defend your leader."

Erdogan's reaction will be decisive in determining whether the demonstrations fizzle out or rage on. So far, a police officer and two protesters have died and thousands have been injured in nearly a week of clashes with the police.


His comments don't appear to have swayed many of the thousands of protesters who thronged central Istanbul's Taksim Square for a sixth day Thursday. More than 10,000 others filled a busy street in a middle class area of Ankara.
"I do not believe his sincerity," said protester Hazer Berk Buyukturca.

Turkey's main stock market revealed the fears that Erdogan's comments would do little to defuse the protesters, with the general price index plunging by 8 percent after his comments on concerns that continuing unrest would hit the country's economy.

In his comments in Tunisia, Erdogan acknowledged that some Turks were involved in the protests out of environmental concerns, and said he had "love and respect" for them.

"His messages were a lot softer than when he left. But they were not soft enough," said Sukru Kucuksahin, columnist and political commentator for Hurriyet Newspaper. "On the other hand, I don't think that the demonstrations will continue with such intensity forever."


The protests started last week over objections to Erdogan's plan to uproot the square's Gezi Park to make way for a replica Ottoman barracks and shopping mall. Police's extensive use of tear gas and water cannons outraged many and sent thousands flooding into the square to support what had, until then, been a small protest.

Over the past week the demonstrations have spread to 78 cities, growing into public venting of what protesters perceive to be Erdogan's increasing arrogance. That includes attempts to impose what many say are restrictive mores on their personal lives, such as how many children to have or whether to drink alcohol.
Erdogan rejects the claims, saying he is a servant of the people.

In Tunisisa, he claimed terrorists had gotten involved in the protests, saying an outlawed left-wing militant group that carried out a suicide bombing on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara in February was taking part.

"They are involved. They have been caught in the streets and on social media," he said.

He also stuck to his determination that Taksim Square would be redeveloped — although he said the plan would include the planting of trees and the construction of a theater and opera. He had earlier said the plans included the construction of a shopping mall.


Erdogan said the Islamic-rooted government had already apologized for the violent police crackdown on the Taksim sit-in, but that tear gas was used everywhere in the world to break up protests.

"Demands cannot be made through illegal means," he said.

The prime minister has insisted that democracy happens only at the ballot box, dismissing the demonstrators as an extremist fringe. Erdogan has seen his support steadily rise since he first won elections in 2002 and garnered nearly 50 percent of the vote in the 2011 ballot.

But his critics — and some members of his traditional support base of religious, conservative Muslims — point out that even with half the electorate behind him, he cannot ignore the wishes of the other 50 percent.

"As a leader you have responsibilities and duties toward your people, even if you don't share their beliefs," said Osman Emre Uygun, a restaurant owner in Istanbul's Hurriyet Mahallesi neighborhood, a traditionally conservative, Erdogan-supporting area.


"That means even if they are not Muslim, you have to defend their rights. We want some common sense. We want him to listen to the protesters and their demands."
Koray Caliskan, professor of political science and international relations at Bosporus University, pointed out that "Turkey is absolutely at a crossroad. Erdogan won't be able to point at Turkey as a model of democracy anymore."

The prime minister, he said, was maintaining a hard line because "until now Erdogan had always gained support by increasing the tension in the country."

Caliskan said the prime minister was surrounded by people too afraid to confront him and was out of touch with what was really happening in protests on the streets of Istanbul and Ankara.

"He couldn't see that there were also people from his grass roots there. There are cracks within his party."


More than anything, it was the violent police response to what was initially a peaceful sit-in in one of Istanbul's last remaining parks that galvanized his opponents.

"Erdogan's solid legend evaporated as tear gas rained over Turkey," Caliskan said.
Interior Minister Muammer Guler insisted police abuses were being investigated. He said police only dispersed protests that had turned violent, and that many officers had acted with restraint despite provocations.

Huseyin Celik, deputy leader of Erdogan's Islamic-rooted party, said the government is sympathetic to secular-minded Turks' concerns and is prepared to take steps to "eliminate" their fears.

So far, 4,300 people have been hurt or sought medical attention for the effects of tear gas during the protests, the Turkish Human Rights Foundation said. One person is on life support in Ankara.


Interior Minister Muammer Guler said more than 500 police officers had been injured. A total of 746 protests had erupted, causing some 70 million Turkish Lira ($37 million) in damages, he said. Nearly 80 protesters were still hospitalized, and almost all detained protesters had been released.

Officials said seven foreign nationals were detained during the protests: two Iranians, two French, an American, a Greek and a German.

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[InCiDeR]

Turkish ruling party says no early elections after protests



Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party on Saturday said there was no question of calling early elections after a week of the fiercest anti-government protests in decades.

"Local elections will be held in March 2014, presidential elections in August 2014, and general elections in June 2015, and a change in the schedule is out of the question," Deputy Chairman Huseyin Celik told reporters after a meeting of the AK Party's executive committee.

"There is no reason for early elections. The government, parliament and cabinet are working like clockwork," Huseyin Celik added.

Activists said Saturday that the police response was noticeably more restrained overnight, but fresh clashes were reported in Istanbul's Sultangazi district, where police again attacked protesters with tear gas and water cannons.

Other focal points of the demonstrations against the Islamic-rooted government of Erdogan were quieter than on previous days, witnesses reported.

Groups of protesters, who accuse Erdogan and his AKP of slowly instituting authoritarian Islamic rule, returned to the streets of Istanbul Saturday.

The prime minister has struck a defiant tone, claiming he was "holding back" his supporters from taking on the protesters, whom he called "looters."'

The wave of protests was sparked by the brutal eviction of a peaceful protest camp in Gezi Park on the edge of Istanbul's Taksim Square, where Erdogan had pushed through plans to build a shopping centre that would replace one of the city's last green spaces.

Erdogan had already made it clear that he intends to push through the highly controversial building project, despite a court order blocking it.

The violent response of the Turkish police to the protests has sparked international outrage.

[InCiDeR]

Tear gas, stun grenades, fire: Chaos overtakes Istanbul protests

Video in link...

Istanbul (CNN) -- A day of clashes between protesters and riot police in Istanbul's Taksim Square suddenly changed dramatically Tuesday when police blanketed the area with massive clouds of tear gas and shot water cannons.

Tens of thousands in the square fled, while some in Gezi Park, which was also hit by tear gas canisters, chanted and launched fireworks in defiance.

Soon the square, home to days of protests over what demonstrators call an increasingly authoritarian government, was filed with chaos. Hugely loud bangs echoed through the area -- likely the result of stun grenades. Thousands packed back into Taksim Square, surrounding a large bonfire that they were fueling with whatever they could pick ups.

Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan's government had said it would allow protesters to remain in Gezi Park as long as they were peaceful. But CNN's Arwa Damon, inside the park, saw police shoot tear gas canisters in Tuesday.


"There's a spirit of determination" and "solidarity" in the park, Damon said. Throughout the day, protesters had called on each other to try to keep things calm and to keep protests peaceful.

The assault on the area marked a return to the more heavy-handed tactics Turkish authorities used in the earlier days of the protests.

The protests at first had focused on the environment -- opposition to a plan to build a mall at the park -- but quickly grew into a battle against Erdogan's democratically elected government.

Protesters had built a new barrier earlier Tuesday and lobbed Molotov cocktails at armored vehicles and burned one. Police responded by spraying water cannons.
In a game of cat-and-mouse, the demonstrators, using wooden boards as shields, would pull back -- only to return, lobbing cocktails and firecrackers and flashing "victory" signs.

Opinion: From victim to villain -- Erdogan's unfinished transformation
"We will never allow people to push things to us, force things to us," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a gathering of his own Justice and Development Party in parliament. "And we will never force things either."

After touting a long list of achievements in the country, which he credited to his government, Erdogan turned to the street demonstrators in Istanbul, who for more than a week have called for him to step down.

"They say the prime minister is harsh. The prime minister is firm," Erdogan said of their grievances against him. "I'm sorry," he answered them. "This prime minister is not going to change."

Throughout Tuesday morning, smoke from tear gas and fireworks wafted through the air at Taksim Square as the armored vehicles shoved away makeshift barriers set up by the demonstrators.

Several protesters linked arms to form a human chain and prevent the police advance. But when police deployed multiple canisters of tear gas, they scattered again.

"If you stop throwing rocks, we will not use tear gas," the police told the raucous group over loud speakers. "We don't want you to get hurt; please obey."


A show of force

The police movement came one day before Erdogan planned to meet with protest organizers. The presence appeared more to be a show of force at the square than an effort to flush out protesters who have been camped there for days.

The demonstrations in Turkey started as a small sit-in over plans to bulldoze Gezi Park -- the last green space in central Istanbul -- and replace it with a shopping mall.

But they have grown into a protest across the political spectrum.

Demonstrators have demanded Erdogan's resignation, accusing his government of creeping authoritarianism.

The result has been the biggest challenge to Erdogan and his governing Justice and Development Party during their decade in power.

Beyond the riot zone: Why Taksim Square matters to Turks


Erdogan fights back

And the prime minister has fought back.

In speeches, Erdogan has said he has no tolerance for what he calls illegal demonstrations.

Sunday, he slammed protesters, warning that "even patience has an end."
He criticized protesters' tactics and challenged them to beat him at the ballot box.
"All they do is destroy. They attacked public buildings; they burned public buildings. They burned the cars of civilians," he said.

"Let's face off at the ballot box in seven months. If you are saying democracy and freedom, if you are saying rights and freedoms, you cannot achieve that with violence. Only within the laws, you can achieve it."


Violence at past protests

Previous protests have met with a harsher police response, garnering broad criticism from inside and outside of Turkey.

Since the demonstrations started on May 31, two protesters have been killed. One was hit by a car in Istanbul; the other was shot in the head by unknown assailants in Antakya, near the border with Syria.

A police captain died after falling from a bridge last week, the Adana governor's office said.

The Turkish Medical Association said that more than 4,300 people were injured in clashes last week. Only a few dozen suffered serious injuries.

[naste.de.lumina]

Released picture of a Pro-Erdogan demonstration in Ankara appears to be photoshopped



P.S.: If you look carefully you will find copies of other individuals who are not circulated

Source:
http://www.davidicke.com/headlines/8...e-photoshopped

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The Guardian reports that police went undercover and staged a molotov cocktail attack on their own forces:

'Turkish TV viewers witnessed this: a small group of four or five "demonstrators" throwing molotov cocktails at police. At one point they advanced on police lines in a comic Roman-style phalanx while holding the flag of a fringe Marxist party. The "protesters" were in fact middle-aged undercover police officers, staging a not very plausible "attack" on their own for the benefit of the cameras.'

If this report is accurate [it seems strange it is not the main point of the article], then certainly a false flag event. It may seem a minor false flag, but several people have already been killed in these protests, and with Erdogan turning up the terrorist rhetoric they may not be the last.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013...ise#OccupyGezi

[InCiDeR]

Turkey protests: Erdogan in 'final' warning
Video in link



Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a "final warning" to protesters to leave Gezi Park in central Istanbul.

"Our patience is at an end. I am making my warning for the last time," he said.

A group representing activists from the park is on its way to Ankara for a meeting with Mr Erdogan due to begin at 23:00 local time (20:00 GMT).

Clashes between police and protesters in the park and adjoining Taksim Square have continued for nearly two weeks.

The meeting between Mr Erdogan and the delegation from Gezi Park has been described as a "last-ditch" attempt to defuse the situation.

Activists have said they will not leave until the government abandons plans to redevelop the park. Mr Erdogan's party has proposed a referendum on the issue.

Such a vote would not be legally binding but Mr Erdogan implied he would honour its outcome.

"I say to the mothers and fathers, please take your children in hand and bring them out," Mr Erdogan declared.

"We cannot wait any more because Gezi Park does not belong to occupying forces but to the people."

His speech at a meeting of his ruling AK Party (AKP) in the capital, Ankara, received a standing ovation.

'Extremists'
Gezi Park is a rare patch of green in Turkey's biggest city, and has been the focus of public anger.

Plans to redevelop it into a shopping centre were the initial spark for the protests.

The prime minister has previously branded the protesters there "extremists" and "looters", and said the demonstrations have been encouraged by foreign forces to undermine Turkey and its economy.

The suggestion of a public vote on the park's future is unlikely to appease many of the protesters still encamped there.

"There is already a court decision which orders the suspension of work in Gezi Park," said Tayfun Kahraman from Taksim Solidarity, one of the environmentalist groups fighting to save the area.

It was not even legal to consider a referendum on such an issue, since such votes could only be held on constitutional matters, he added.

"Are they going to ask us whether we approve of chopping down trees? What would the result change anyway?" 22-year-old student Arzu told AFP news agency.



It is not yet clear what failing to heed Prime Minister Erdogan's "final" warning would mean for the protesters.

Some of those camped in the park have been waiting for news from city governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu, who has been assuring them for several days that police will not intervene, while urging them to leave so that "police can tackle marginal groups".

Several riot vehicles are still on standby in Taksim - a sign that police have no intention of abandoning the square they stormed on Tuesday.

Protesters fought back then, using stones and Molotov cocktails in reply to the police's tear gas and water cannons.

'Who do you think you are?'
The police crackdown on protesters has drawn international concern, especially from Europe.

On Thursday, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution that "deplores the reactions of the Turkish Government and of Prime Minister Erdogan, whose unwillingness to take steps towards reconciliation, to apologise or to understand the reactions of a segment of the Turkish population have only contributed to further polarisation".

The resolution also "warns the Turkish Government against taking harsh measures against the peaceful protesters, and urges the prime minister to take a unifying and conciliatory position so as to avoid any further escalation".

Mr Erdogan reacted angrily shortly before the resolution was passed.

"I won't recognise the decision that the European Union parliament is going to take about us... Who do you think you are by taking such a decision?''

Five people have died and thousands injured since the protests began on 31 May.