{"id":70695,"date":"2013-06-19T07:12:24","date_gmt":"2013-06-19T04:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/?p=70695"},"modified":"2023-04-06T15:29:58","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T12:29:58","slug":"turkey-turmoil-could-lead-to-new-flash-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/2013\/06\/19\/turkey-turmoil-could-lead-to-new-flash-points\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey turmoil could lead to new flash points"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Michael Birnbaum<\/span>,<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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ISTANBUL \u2014 The turmoil in Turkey entered a new stage Sunday, with riot police tearing through residential neighborhoods in Istanbul to clear streets of protesters as Prime Minister Recep Tay\u00adyip Erdogan delivered a fiery speech to tens of thousands of supporters on the city\u2019s outskirts.As thousands of protesters who had been pushed out of central Taksim Square a day earlier tried to return, many said they would stay in the streets, and five major trade unions declared a general strike starting Monday. And with Erdogan on Sunday telling his opponents that the proper place to challenge him was at the ballot box, residents said other ongoing controversies could spark new protests in the lead-up to local polls next year.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n
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In Turkey, protesters try a new approach: Standing still<\/h2>\n

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Michael Birnbaum <\/span><\/p>\n

As Erdogan\u2019s opponents shift their tactics, the prime minister says he wants to expand police powers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The conflict over Gezi Park, Istanbul\u2019s last central green space, quickly transformed into a broader outpouring of frustration about what critics call Erdogan\u2019s campaign to reshape personal liberties in a more conservative Islamic fashion. With new alcohol restrictions set to take effect within months and plans for vast infrastructure projects that could inspire similar opposition, protesters said they would not fade quietly into a society that has been dominated by Erdogan\u2019s Justice and Development Party for 10 years.\u201cWe are embracing our nation,\u201d Erdogan told a cheering crowd in Istanbul, at the same moment that riot police were firing canisters of tear gas to clear protesters in the leafy, bohemian neighborhood of Cihangir, about a mile from Taksim Square, the site of the park at the center of the demonstrations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe parks cannot be under occupation. And now my patience is done,\u201d Erdogan said. \u201cTaksim Square is evacuated right now. And it\u2019s given to the nation. The Istanbul municipality cleared Gezi Park, and now we are planting flowers. Now the real environmentalists are doing their job.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he has previously, Erdogan blamed foreign governments, media and the \u201cinterest-rate lobby\u201d for stoking unrest, calling on supporters to hang the red-and-white Turkish flag from their windows to show their love for their country.<\/p>\n

As Erdogan spoke and security forces cleared Istanbul of protesters, residents of Cihangir shouted from their windows at riot police.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you come and take us from our homes next?\u201d one \u00admiddle-aged man yelled.<\/p>\n

Clashes there continued for hours, with riot police making repeated sweeps, firing tear gas each time. Protesters set up makeshift barriers with potted trees. By early Monday, some protesters had started to throw rocks at police.<\/p>\n

Opposition groups that on Saturday had been considering standing down said Sunday that their demands were unchanged and that they would work to press Erdogan harder than ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a new page opened in Turkish history,\u201d said Eyup Muhcu, a leader of the Taksim Solidarity umbrella group, who met with Erdogan on Friday, a day before the Taksim Square crackdown. \u201cEverybody will pour into the squares in every park of Turkey for their rights and demands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps seeking to avert that, security forces on Sunday cordoned off not only Taksim Square but also smaller neighborhood plazas across the country that could be used for demonstrations. Clashes between protesters and police broke out in many Istanbul neighborhoods that had previously been quiet, probably because clearing Taksim dispersed demonstrators across the city.Dark-green military vehicles also took part in the efforts, an important sign that Erdogan retains control over the armed forces. With Turkey\u2019s history of military coups during periods of civil unrest, the apparent coordination between the civilian government and the military indicates that Erdogan\u2019s widely praised efforts to subordinate Turkey\u2019s army to civilian control have succeeded.<\/p>\n

The protests over Gezi Park were sparked, in part, by concerns that Erdogan is altering the dense physical fabric of Istanbul, a city of 13\u00a0million, with little input from residents. Erdogan hopes to build a replica of an Ottoman-era barracks on the site of Gezi Park, which along with adjoining Taksim Square is a major crossroads.<\/p>\n

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As Erdogan\u2019s opponents shift their tactics, the prime minister says he wants to expand police powers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But many other projects could serve as flash points for renewed unrest. Last month, Erdogan received proposals for a third airport for Istanbul, and he broke ground on a new bridge across the Bosporus that he unilaterally named after the 16th-century Ottoman sultan Selim I, who vastly expanded the empire and was known for his persecution of the Alevi minority group. Alevis \u2014 and many others who value minority rights \u2014 viewed the name as a poke in the eye.\u201cIt\u2019s horrible,\u201d said Huseyin Ekinci, 49, an Alevi who works at a plumbing shop in the working-class Tarlabasi neighborhood near Taksim Square. \u201cIt\u2019s very possible that there will be more protests over the name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tarlabasi is in the throes of redevelopment, with a large block of historic buildings being cleared away to make room for a massive luxury apartment and shopping complex. Many Kurds and other minorities live in the neighborhood, and there were small protests before the project got underway.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Gezi, we will have more capacity to mobilize the population against the local urban projects of the government,\u201d said Ahmet Insel, a professor of development economics at Galatasaray University.<\/p>\n

In Tarlabasi, residents said they expected more protests.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will continue to resist,\u201d said Osman Tasdogen, 42, a barber who was giving shaves with a straight razor to Tarlabasi men. Referring to the environmental concerns that set off the Gezi Park protests, he said, \u201cThese trees are only the symbol, but everyone has their own issue. The summary is the reaction to Tayyip\u201d Erdogan.<\/p>\n

At least 5,000 people have been injured since the start of the protests, according to a medical association. Five people have died, including one police officer. And on Sunday, clashes erupted between Erdogan supporters and opponents in the conservative Anatolian city of Konya, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported, the first between the two sides since the crackdown started Saturday.<\/p>\n

Police detained about 350 people in Istanbul over the weekend, the Istanbul Bar Association said.<\/p>\n

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Asli Sozbilir contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

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Jonas Carson<\/div>\n
6\/16\/2013 11:55 PM EST<\/div>\n
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Protesters have been extremely peaceful since the beginning. That’s the only reason the death toll is only five now. I mean a total of 2-3 million people walked in 44 different cities all over the country. It’s police’s violent interventions and Erdogan’s extremely aggressive speeches that’s fueling the fire. And last night when the protests had started to diminish the riot police suddenly decided to massively gas-bomb Gezi Park. One can just find hundreds of extreme police brutality incidents like that on YouTube\/Twitter, some being extremely graphic. But those people on the streets are very calm and aware. See this photo please: http:\/\/www.bogaziciperde.com\/TR\/images\/terre.jpg (police is surrounded by protesters but they’re not even trting to harm them.) No one is using any kind of gun, any kind of weapon even, let alone molotov cocktails. Nothing! It’s just sitting in the park, walking on the streets and shouting. But police is never stopping to find new ways to hurt people. Check this one: (filling chemical fluid to water cannons).. Not sure if you ever got hit by pressured-water, but I hope you don’t! It’s like getting hit by Mike Tyson. This is not effective enough for police obviously that they’re now adding skin-irritating compounds to the water! See the result: http:\/\/www.eleganceperde.com\/img\/BM1F1O1CUAAORYa.jpgI hope you have a clearer picture of what’s going on in Turkey now. It’s innocent and modern people on the streets trying to protect their freedom and secular democracy. But we’re not even allowed to make peaceful demonstrations. PM Erdogan takes any kind of criticism very personal and responds very brutally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Get your facts right<\/div>\n
6\/17\/2013 1:00 AM EST<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The protests were legitimate at the beginning but it then got taken over by fringe, radical far-left groups. It was peaceful but then quickly public buses, bus stops, business, footpaths, private and public property started getting damaged by these radical fringe groups.Ultimately Gezi Park is a public space for all people. People should be able to go to work or take their children to the park without having to take the risk of going through a public space that has been taken over by radicals and fringe groups.<\/p>\n

Your understanding of democracy is not accepting the will of the people. Its either your way or the highway.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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logic100<\/div>\n
6\/17\/2013 4:51 AM EST<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Since most of the damage was done by the so called Police, then that means they are fringe, radical far-left groups ?And with the comment “Your understanding of democracy is not accepting the will of the people. Its either your way or the highway.” I’m assuming you’re stating this to the PM since \u0131t describes exactly what he’s been doing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n
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