Turkey's pro-government demonstrators take to streets

[liontk]

Turkey's opposition party leader accused the prime minister of escalating tensions and dragging the country "into the fire" as enduring anti-government protests that have led to three deaths entered their 11th day on Monday.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan headed a cabinet meeting to discuss the protests, the first serious challenge to his 10-year rule.

What's behind the unrest in Turkey?
Will Turkey's protests undermine its strategic role?
On Sunday he had made a series of fiery speeches in three cities, saying the government's patience is running thin, demanding an end to the protests and threatening to hold those who don't respect his government to account. He didn't specify what that would entail.

Erdogan has also called major pro-government rallies in Ankara and Istanbul next weekend, apparently aiming to intimidate the protesters by showing that he, too, can get large numbers of his supporters out on the street.

Why so stubborn?
Hurriyet newspaper on Monday quoted Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of the opposition Republican People's Party, as calling on Erdogan to reduce tensions.

"Why is the prime minister being so stubborn toward his people? He should not do it," Kilicdaroglu said. "We are witnessing a prime minister who is trying to hold on to power by creating tensions."

"A policy that feeds on tension will drag society into the fire," he added.

Crowds of protesters swelled into the tens of thousands in Istanbul's Taksim Square and main city centers in Ankara and Izmir as Erdogan delivered his speeches. Police broke up the protest near government buildings in Ankara with tear gas and water cannons.

Protests in Istanbul's Taksim Square took a new turn during the weekend, as anti-government demonstrators were rivaled by backers of the government, the CBC's Derek Stoffel reported.

12 detained in Ankara
"Thousands of anti-government demonstrators spent the night in the square, once again calling for Erdogan to resign," he said. "One woman said that every time the prime minister ups the rhetoric, that only sends more protesters out onto the street."

The Turkish Human Rights Foundation said at least 12 people were detained in Ankara. It added that 13 were detained in the city of Adana for allegedly "inciting people into rioting" through social media posts. They were questioned by a court, which then released them from custody, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. A further 25 protesters were detained in Izmir for a series of Twitter posts last week. They were also later released.

The protests were sparked May 31 by a violent police crackdown on a sit-in at a park in Taksim Square to prevent a redevelopment project that would replace the green space with a replica Ottoman Barracks. They have since spread to 78 cities across the country.

Protesters vent their anger at what they say are Erdogan's growing autocratic ways and his attempts to impose a religious and conservative lifestyle.

Erdogan, a devout Muslim, says he is committed to Turkey's secular laws and denies charges of autocracy.

Dozens of tents
On Sunday he denied he is raising tensions and insisted the protests are a ploy to undermine a government that was elected with 50 per cent support in 2011 elections.

Protesters on Monday continued to occupy the park in Taksim Square, where dozens of tents have been set up.

"I am here because I don't want (Erdogan) and his government anymore, said 26-year-old Melisa Colakoglu. "Because it is not democratic."

Police in Ankara again removed tents from a small park where protesters have gathered in a show of support to the Istanbul protesters.

The Human Rights Foundation said some 4,850 people have sought medical care since the protests began, for injuries or the effects of tear gas. Two protesters have died, as well as a police officer who fell into an underpass while chasing protesters.

This is getting serious as this news piece was posted on the front page of international affairs a la CBC. Can this potentially be another arab spring in the making with monsieur Erodagan supporters clashings on streets?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/06/10/turkey-protests-61013.html

 

[liontk]

Les manifestants qui se mobilisent contre le gouvernement turc depuis 11 jours n'ont pas l'intention de s'en laisser imposer par le premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan qui a promis ce week-end de leur faire payer « un prix élevé ».

Lundi matin, la situation était relativement calme sur la place Taksim, à Istanbul, où des dizaines de milliers de contestataires manifestent depuis bientôt deux semaines pour réclamer la démission du premier ministre conservateur Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

De nouvelles manifestations sont attendues en fin de journée sur la place Taksim et dans le parc Gezi, à Istanul.

Tout au long du week-end, des dizaines de milliers de personnes se sont massées notamment dans les rues d'Istanbul, d'Adana et de la capitale, Ankara, où des heurts entre manifestants et policiers ont eu lieu sur la place Kizilay, au centre-ville.

Les policiers ont eu recours à des gaz lacrymogènes et des canons à eau pour disperser une foule de plusieurs milliers de manifestants.

Erdogan montre les dents

Le premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan Photo : AFP/STRINGER
Après une dizaine de jours de contestation, le gouvernement islamo-conservateur commence à montrer des signes d'impatience.

Dimanche, dans une série de discours prononcés devant ses partisans, le premier ministre Erdogan a sommé les manifestants de mettre un terme à ce mouvement de contestation. Il a aussi répété qu'il ne démissionnera pas de ses fonctions.

Son parti, le AKP, a exclu du même souffle toute possibilité d'élections anticipées.

Devant ses partisans dimanche, le chef du gouvernement turc a qualifié ses adversaires de « terroristes », de « lâches » et de « vandales ». Il a également prévenu que la patience dont a fait preuve son gouvernement jusqu'ici a des limites.

« Ce sont ce type de discours et la brutalité de la police qui ont mené la contestation aussi loin. Il doit faire marche arrière (...) il doit reconnaître les exigences de la population », a déclaré lundi à l'Agence France-Presse Akif Burak Atlar, secrétaire du collectif Taksim Solidarité.

« Honnêtement, je ne sais pas où tout ça va, personne ne contrôle plus rien », a poursuivi M. Atlar, pessimiste.

Manifestation contre le gouvernement turc à Ankara, le 5 juin Photo : AFP/ADEM ALTAN
Ce mouvement de contestation qui secoue la Turquie a pris naissance le 31 mai dernier lorsque les forces de l'ordre turques ont délogé de force des centaines de personnes qui campaient dans le parc Gezi, à Istanbul.

Les manifestants tentaient d'y bloquer un projet d'aménagement prévoyant l'abattage de 600 arbres et la construction d'un centre commercial doté d'une mosquée dans ce parc adjacent à la place Taksim.

De violents affrontements entre la police et les manifestants s'en étaient suivi tandis que le mouvement de contestation gagnait les villes les plus importantes du pays, dont Ankara et Izmir.

Turquie : les manifestants ignorent les menaces du gouvernement Erdogan | Radio-Canada.ca

 

[liontk]

More Updates to come...
background information on the conflict for folks not following this event

[video]http://www.radio-canada.ca/audio-video/#urlMedia=http://www.radio-canada.ca/Medianet/2013/RDI/2013-06-09_09_00_00_RDIMATINW_0000_01_1200.asx&pos=0[/video]

[video]http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/World/ID/2389279795/?page=2[/video]

[video]http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/World/ID/2389121232/?page=2[/video]

 

[liontk]

More Updates...

Erdogan rallies supporters in Turkey


High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. Erdogan rallies supporters in Turkey - FT.com

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, has sought to fight back against the demonstrations that have shaken his country, rallying his supporters in a series of speeches on Sunday ahead of a bigger show of force in days to come.
In a sign that the government is seeking to marshal its supporters in the streets, Mr Erdogan called on his audience to attend mass rallies in Ankara and Istanbul next week. “We are going to be patient but there is a limit to patience,” he said.
More
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of protesters filled Taksim, the central Istanbul square that demonstrators have occupied, as the confrontation appeared to deepen.
While protesters say Mr Erdogan’s government is authoritarian, the prime minister – who has been elected three times – has labelled demonstrators as marginal groups, looters and vandals. However, the scale of demonstrations across Turkey for more than a week has indicated significant support for the protesters’ cause.
In his speech in Ankara airport, which came after previous addresses in the cities of Mersin and Adana, Mr Erdogan accused demonstrators of taking beer into a mosque – a beer can was discovered in a mosque after protesters used it as a clinic to treat the wounded – and of attacking women who wear the headscarf.
During his speech, members of the audience shouted “Mujaheed Erdogan”, branding Mr Erdogan as a fighter for Islam.
The prime minister also attacked what he calls the “interest rate lobby” – allegedly speculators who push Turkish interest rates artificially high. Officials say that when the ruling Justice and Development Party entered office in 2002, interest rates accounted for about 86 per cent of total tax revenues compared with about 16 per cent now. “The interest rate lobby exploited my nation for years, but it will no longer,” Mr Erdogan said.
Despite the campaigning style of his speeches, party officials said at the weekend that the government would not seek to bring elections forward to respond to the demonstrations, with Mr Erdogan himself repeatedly arguing that the will of the people will be revealed in local elections next year


Erdogan rallies supporters in Turkey - FT.com

 

[liontk]

This is troubling that he still has decent amount of support from the lowermiddleclass in my humble opinion
More Updates:

A GLANCE AT ERDOGANS SUPPORTERS


The crowd outside Istanbul's main airport initially numbered about 100. But as news came that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's plane was approaching from Tunisia on his return from a four-day North Africa tour, his supporters came in droves.

Traffic came to a standstill and people crammed into any available space. It was a loud and boisterous show of backing by more than 10,000 followers of Erdogan, who for perhaps the first time in a decade of power appeared vulnerable after a week of protests challenging his rule.

To his pious and conservative base, the three-term prime minister deserves respect for raising Turkey's international profile, improving their standard of living, cleaning up hospitals and providing better services. They adore him for curbing the powers of Turkey's secular military and for standing up to Israel when they felt Palestinians were oppressed.

Here's what some of his supporters from Ankara's Sincan neighborhood, which is a major ruling party stronghold, have to say:

THE CAR WASH EMPLOYEE

Ramazan Usur, 52, is the only breadwinner in his family. He has three children — something he knows Erdogan would approve of.

Usur said it's thanks to Erdogan that his family is able to live "in luxury" despite earning a minimum wage.

The prime minister, Usur said, is the only leader "for our country and the party."

"He is a great man, he is the greatest master, he is our emperor," Usur said.

"He works day and night for his country. What else do they want from him?," he asked of the protesters.

THE GROCERY SHOP MANAGER

Sait Demirel, 38, is married and has three children.


"The protests aren't about the environment anymore," he said, as he supervised his employees offloading watermelons from the back of a truck. "We are hearing that the protesters are hurling rocks and stones at police."

Demirel supports Erdogan, but doesn't agree with all of his policies.

"I don't drink liquor, but if someone wants to drink it then no one should try to prevent that," Demirel said, referring to a law that would restrict the sale and promotion of alcoholic drinks.

"I think Erdogan, sometimes, can be overly reactive," he said.

THE CAR MECHANIC

Father of one, 27-year-old Yasin Bagci, works for minimum wage as a car mechanic and takes care of his family. He said they "suffered" economically under previous governments.

"Erdogan's government solved most of these problems," Bagci said. "We still have problems that should be solved but there is no other person who can govern this country as well as Erdogan."

Bagci said Erdogan has "all that it takes to be a leader. He stands behind his words. He is a straight talker."

The protests were innocent in the beginning, he believed.

"It was about protecting trees but turned into something else later on," he said. "If our leaders had listened to these people in the beginning the incident wouldn't have grown so much. Both sides should have listened to each other."

THE KEBAB SHOP CHEF

Serkan Tosun, 31, has a wife and child and makes a living from his small kebab restaurant.

Tosun agreed with Erdogan that there are "provocateurs among the protesters."

"Those people who don't know what they are doing there shouldn't try to create a rift between us and our prime minister. They are being used by some forces," Tosun said.

Tosun didn't mind that the prime minister can sometimes be abrasive. "He only reproaches people when they deserve to be. He doesn't reproach his people, he reproaches his opponents who have nothing to do except mill around."

Tosun said life is much easier under Erdogan's Justice and Development Party. He gets bank loans much faster and his family gets good health care.

"In the past, you had to wait 15 days to see a doctor, now you can go and see any doctor," he said.

The alcohol ban was introduced by Erdogan for the good of his own citizens, Tosun said.

Had the prime minister landed in Ankara instead of Istanbul, he would have been among the group that rushed to the airport to greet Erdogan.

Article written by EZGI AKIN, ANKARA

A Glance at Some of Erdogan's Supporters - ABC News