Turkey rises in mass protests and in violent clashes with police

[KurtFF8]

(Edit: Here's a timeline that RT put together that can perhaps be helpful http://rt.com/news/istanbul-park-protests-police-095/)

Source

Turkey was engulfed by a series of protests across several cities after riot police turned Istanbul's busiest city centre hub into a battleground, deploying tear gas and water cannon against thousands of peaceful demonstrators.
In one of the biggest challenges to the 10-year-rule of the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, demonstrators took to the streets of Ankara, Izmir, Bodrum and several other cities as well as Istanbul to vent their frustration at what is seen to be an increasingly authoritarian administration.
The air of government nervousness was reinforced by the relative lack of mainstream media coverage of the drama in central Istanbul, fuelling speculation that the Erdogan government was leaning on the main television stations to impose a blackout on the ugly scenes.
Following several days of dawn police raids on the protesters seeking to occupy a park on Taksim Square in Istanbul city centre, the clashes escalated violently, leaving more than 100 people injured, several of them seriously.
Police went on the rampage against protesters who had been sitting reading books and singing songs.
There was widespread criticism of the heavy-handed intervention and of the government, which is committed to demolishing the park to erect a shopping centre.
A US state department spokesman said: "We certainly support universally peaceful protests, as we would in this case."
In Brussels MEPs raised the alarm and called on the European Union to act.
What started at the beginning of the week as an environmental protest aimed at saving an Istanbul city centre park from shopping centre developers backed by the government appeared to be snowballing into a national display of anger at the perceived high-handedness of the Erdogan government.
"They have declared war on us," said an Istanbul shopkeeper in a back street, as he handed out lemon juice to protesters. "This is out of all proportion."
"Today is a turning point for the AKP," said Koray Caliskan, a political scientist at Istanbul's Bosphorus University. "Erdogan is a very confident and very authoritarian politician, and he doesn't listen to anyone anymore. But he needs to understand that Turkey is no kingdom, and that he cannot rule Istanbul from Ankara all by himself."
Ugur Tanyeli, an architecture historian, said: "The real problem is not Taksim, and not the park, but the lack of any form of democratic decision-making process and the utter lack of consensus. We now have a prime minister who does whatever he wants."
The protests started late on Monday after developers tore up trees to make way for the controversial construction project featuring a shopping centre in nostalgic Ottoman style and building a replica of an old military barracks.
Police staged consecutive raids on protesters, using tear gas and water cannon, but the protests grew in scale, with artists, intellectuals and opposition MPs joining the ranks.
According to the Istanbul Medical Chamber, at least 100 people were injured during the police raids on Friday . Some sustained injuries when a wall they were trying to climb collapsed as they fled from the tear gas. At least seven people were treated for head wounds. Later on Friday police also used tear gas against protesters in Ankara.
In Istanbul, Sirri Süreyya Önder, an MP from the Kurdish BDP party, was taken to hospital after he was reportedly hit in the shoulder by a tear gas cartridge.
Amnesty International condemned the "use of excessive force" by police.
There were reports late on Friday of a woman having died. In a sign of the tension, amateur video footage showed Turkish military personnel refusing to help the riot police, as well as handing out gas masks to demonstrators. There were also reports that some of the police had switched sides and joined the protests.
With the Erdogan government facing an uncommon popular challenge after 10 years in power, an MP from the governing AK party angered the protesters, tweeting: "It looks like some people needed gas." Sirin Ünal added: "If you go away, you will have a nice day. One has to obey the system."
For the burgeoning protest movement, the park issue is the tip of the iceberg. Another building project, the construction of a bridge spanning the Bosphorus, was launched this week, with Erdogan dismissing public opinion.
"They can do whatever they want," he said. "We've made our decision, and we will do as we have decided," he said. He defended the reconstruction of the Ottoman barracks as a matter of "respecting history". Opponents argue the project will destroy one of the last green spaces in central Istanbul for the sake of private profit.
"How can you show respect for something that does not exist?" asked Tanyeli. "We don't even know what the barracks looked like exactly. To say that this project has anything to do with the reconstruction of a historical building is ridiculous.
"We all know how starved Istanbul is for green space. It needs this park so much more than yet another shopping mall."
Several retailers announced they would not open stores in the planned shopping centre. "I would not open a store in a place where blood has been shed," businessman Selami Sari told the Turkish press.
The park protests show signs of escalating into demonstrations against a prime minister who remains popular and dominates national politics, but is seen as increasingly authoritarian.
"Turkey is not doing well, not doing well at all," said Coskun Ince after several days protesting. "We have to fight for our rights, and now they deny us the few rights we still have."
The protest was unusual in that it brought together young and old, the rightwing and leftists, and nationalist Turks and Kurds. They complained of issues beyond the planned shopping centre from government policy on the war in neighbouring Syria to new curbs on alcohol and a recent row about kissing in public.
"We are fed up," said Cansu Kahvecioglu, a student. "They don't give us any breathing space anymore."

Surprised I haven't seen a thread about this yet (if there is, my apologies)

[Zaza]

Turkey is finally waking up.

[Prof. Oblivion]

AFAIK it's more widespread than this meager article. Perhaps some of our Turkish users could fill us in?

[human strike]

Police have killed certainly at least one protester and possibly several others.

I don't know about the fate of the man in this video:

+ YouTube Video

THis photo was taken at 3:40 am:

1:50 am:

[Red Commissar]

These things are from a Kurdish site but it's relevant:

http://en.firatnews.eu/news/news/pol...park-video.htm

+ YouTube Video

+ YouTube Video

Taksim Gezi Park protestors have not left the park area for the last three days, resisting to prevent the demolition of the park as part of Taksim pedestrianization project. They have been facing brutal police violence since the beginning of the mass protest.

Police threw tear gas and went on destroying demonstrators' tents at 5 am Thursday morning, seizing and destroying protestors' tents, burning some. The demolition of the park was halted on Tuesday as Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Istanbul deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder stood in front of a bulldozer and didn't leave the area, insisting that the demolition of the park and the uprooting of the trees was unlawful. Önder was at the area together with the people yesterday as well, supported by artists, intellectuals, workers and students as well.

Police has once again attacked hundreds of demonstrators on Friday morning, at around 4 am, using intense tear gas in which over 20 people were injured, including CHP (Republican People's Party) deputy Gürsel Tekin who fainted during the brutal police terror. The intense tear gas police used has started a fire in the Maçka Park nearby. Mass incident intervention vehicles (TOMA) are trying to extinguish the fire in the wood.

Some people, wearing city police uniforms and gas masks, have torn the tents of park protestors among whom those joining the vigil were forcibly taken out of the area by riot police.

Police also targeted the press members in the area, hitting them with a tear gas during their conversation with CHP deputy İlhan Cihaner.

The police mobilization in the area has been multiplied on Friday, with the police having closed the ways into and out of the park area.

Clashes broke out in Taksim, Dolmabahçe and Harbiye following the police attack.

Demonstrators issued a press statement condemning the police terror against park demonstrators who demand the ending of demolition of green areas.

This was not the first disturbance in recent months, IIRC some battles with police and nationalists erupted in many cities in Turkey after the government abruptly prohibited May Day rallies in Taksim Square in Istanbul.

[human strike]

This page is especially good for updates, photos and videos: https://www.facebook.com/internationalriot

Also RT liveblog: http://rt.com/news/istanbul-park-protests-police-095/

[blake 3:17]

Financial Times:

Thousands call on Turkey’s leader to quit
By Daniel Dombey in Istanbul

Protests swept Turkey on Friday and deep into Saturday morning as thousands of demonstrators called on prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resign.
What began as a rally against a shopping mall project turned into one of the biggest challenges in recent years to Mr Erdogan’s rule, as whole districts of Istanbul resounded to the banging of pots and pans into the early hours of the morning. Drivers hit car horns in support of the demonstrators.

For more than 12 hours Turkish police had sprayed tear gas against crowds trying to reach Taksim square in the centre of the city. There were widespread reports of injuries among protesters and bystanders.
Protests sprang up in other cities including Ankara, the capital, but Turkish television reporters largely avoided broadcasting coverage of the events. Many local journalists complain they are under pressure to censor the news.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ed55f378-c...#axzz2UwLqWLvq

[Rocky Rococo]

Istanbul at 2:30am

+ YouTube Video

[blake 3:17]

From an old friend, currently living in Turkey,

ALL FRIENDS ABROAD ACTION NOW:
CALL THE TURKISH EMBASSY IN YOUR COUNTRY NOW AND ASK WHY POLICE IS GASSING DEMONSTRATORS IN TAKSIM AND WHETHER ISTANBUL IS SAFE ANYMORE. PROTEST USE OF FORCE AGAINST PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATIONS.

DO IT NOW PLEASE! for contact numbers:
http://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkish-representations.en.mfa

Link will send you to a consulate or other diplomatic agency. Please call

[Le Socialiste]

From the Daily Kos:

There are 40,000 people crossing from Asia to Europe on a bridge across the Bosphorus. According to tweets they are joining protesters in Istanbul. These protesters occupied Gezi park for days, battling police in riot gear. Many were injured and there are reports of people having been killed.

Rest of article here.

Picture of the bridge crossing hidden in spoilers:

[Le Socialiste]

From a BBC article/analyst:

Environmentalists have been joined by gay and lesbian groups, as well as socialists, union workers, members of opposition parties from across the political landscape and even so-called "anti-capitalist Muslims". The excessive use of force by the riot police and the insistence of the government to pursue their plans for the park have escalated tensions.

[Le Socialiste]

More than 2,000 protesters reported to be moving on the Turkish Parliament and Cabinet of Ministers. Barricades are said to have gone up in some places.

[Brutus]

Barricades on which side?

[B5C]

The Arab Spring finally made it to the Turks.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Could a turkish poster please properly translate this?

http://www.tkp.org.tr/basin-aciklama...itmelidir-2122

[Le Socialiste]

Barricades on which side?

Anti-government protesters.

[Rusty Shackleford]

#Occupygezipics

[Sasha]

As far as i can follow massive groups are still trying to reach taksim, heavy tearsgas, even my totaly non-political Turkish facebook friends are going out to get involved and calling on their friends. Rumors of the army handing out gasmasks to protesters and cops refusing to deploy.
This is getting huge.

[KurtFF8]

Quite an impressive showing by the people of Turkey.

I would caution against assuming this is "The Turkish Spring" however. The problems with the vague term of Arab Spring aside (including the direction of the Arab Spring, the fact that Turks are not Arabs, etc.), it's a bit soon to proclaim a protracted movement.

We all may hope for that but let's observe (and give support) this moment before we claim this is "the awakening of Turkey" and all, because we just don't know yet.

[Per Levy]

As far as i can follow massive groups are still trying to reach taksim, heavy tearsgas, even my totaly non-political Turkish facebook friends are going out to get involved and calling on their friends. Rumors of the army handing out gasmasks to protesters and cops refusing to deploy.
This is getting huge.

i've just read from a german newspaper that tenthousands have stormed taksim and the police is retreating.

edit:

Riot police in Istanbul are withdrawing from Taksim Square and allowing the mass protest to continue unabated, Turkish state media reports.
Confronted with the growing street opposition, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan remained defiant, demanding that protesters “stop their demonstrations immediately."

"Police were there yesterday, they'll be on duty today and also tomorrow because Taksim Square cannot be an area where extremists are running wild," the PM warned.

http://rt.com/news/turkey-protests-second-day-114/

well hopefully the military wont be used to supress the protest.