Police disperse protesters gathered in Taksim

Turkish police evacuated Saturday, June 15 in the evening thousands of protesters occupied the Gezi Istanbul Park, two hours after a new ultimatum Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordering them vacate.

The police entered the park, the bastion of anti-government revolt that shakes Turkey for two weeks, and emptied of all its occupants by firing tear gas grenade. Many tents in which occupants were preparing to spend another night were destroyed during the operation, and arrested several protesters.

Shortly before, the police had evacuated, first with water cannons and tear gas with several protesters who had gathered in Taksim Square, chanting hostile slogans Erdogan. In a speech near Ankara to tens of thousands of his supporters, the prime minister launched in late afternoon a new ultimatum to the occupants of the park, requiring him to vacate the premises by Sunday.

"Stay there has no meaning because the case is now in the hands of justice [...]. I do not know what will be the decision of the court but to slice or against [the maintenance of the park ] there will be a popular vote in Istanbul [...] and we will respect the outcome of the vote, "had said the Prime Minister in particular.

"If brothers are still there, please leave because the park belongs to the people of Istanbul. This is not a busy area for illegal organizations," insisted the head of government. "Nobody can intimidate us, [...] we do not take order or instruction from anyone except God," he shouted to the demonstrators.

On May 31, a violent police intervention in Gezi Park to evacuate opposed to its destruction announced militants escalated into widespread movement of political protest against the Turkish Islamic-conservative government in power in Turkey since 2002.

police , protests , taksim , Turkey

Police violence the revolt; Occupy Taksim Square

Tension remained high in Turkey on Wednesday morning on the sixth day of protests against the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Again, thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul and Ankara. Despite the "apology" from the government to victims of police brutality the previous day, thousands of protesters stormed at night Istanbul's Taksim Square, where they chanted slogans calling for the resignation of the Prime Minister. Apologies all necessary that the repression of forces is in the viewfinder.

Indeed, those are the police violence, as thousands of people, led Tuncay Alcpinar to occupy Taksim Square. At age 39, he was a victim of false imprisonment. He spent the year 2011 in detention. Overnight, he was arrested, accused of drug trafficking, and imprisoned twelve months without trial, without any presumption of innocence.

"I had to wait a year in prison. A year there is finally a confrontation in court with a police officer. It happened. He did not even look at me. He just said that n was not me, "testifies to the Turk in Europe one microphone. According to him, the Islamic-conservative power has increased repression. "Since Erdogan (Prime Minister, ed) is in power, it became systematic. They put you in jail. Then they ask you to take care of yourself to prove that you're not guilty. Only not possible, such a system, "laments Tuncay Alcpinar.

For several days, the police are in the viewfinder, accused of brutality against protesters. "You see the events: the police violence hit hard but it always ends up staying in prison violence is psychological And that remains forever.." Said the Turk, told Europe 1. Tuncay Alcpinar is far from alone. It is well aware when discussing with students on the barricades. Too familiar with the problem: more than 2,800 of them are currently in prison in Turkey.

ankara , istanbul , protests , taksim , Turkey , Turkish

Turkey: Erdogan rejects any Turkish Spring

The clashes resumed on Monday for the fourth consecutive day in Turkey between police and demonstrators opposed to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has denied any authoritarian drift and rejected the possibility of a "Turkish Spring".

In the wake of another night of violence between police and protesters in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir (west) of the incidents included in the afternoon in the Turkish capital, where police dispersed jet grenades tear a group of a thousand people, mostly students and young people, gathered in the city center.

Very sure of himself, the head of government, the main target of the protest, left in mid-day Turkey for a four-day tour in the Maghreb countries by repeating it would not bow facing the street.

"We remain firm (...) calm down, we will go beyond this," said Mr Erdogan to the media. "My country will give its response in this election (note: the 2014 local elections)," he said, confident of its electoral strength, "if we really undemocratic practices, we reverse our nation."

"Yes, we are now in the spring but we will not let him become a winter," he added in reference to the "spring" Arab.

On a more conciliatory tone, Turkish President Abdullah Gul called him Monday to calm the protesters and taken again, the opposite of the head of government.

A democracy does not mean only (a win) elections (...) It is quite natural to express different opinions (...) by peaceful demonstrations, "said Gul to the press.

Since Friday, the protest of a handful of activists against the proposed destruction of an Istanbul public park has gradually gained throughout Turkey.

Accused of authoritarian drift and wanting to "Islamize" Turkish society, Erdogan is now facing a protest movement on an unprecedented scale since the coming to power of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP, from the Islamist movement) in 2002.

On the night of Sunday to Monday, violent incidents have objected to the new police and thousands of demonstrators in Istanbul, around offices Erdogan in Ankara and in the residential area of ​​Kavaklidere, where protesters chanted "Nobody wants you Tayyip!".

Police Brutality

Sunday, the Turkish police also dispersed unceremoniously several events in Izmir (west), Adana (south) or Gaziantep (south-east), making whenever many wounded. Many protesters cited by Turkish television denounced the brutality of police.

The violence of the last three days have been over a thousand injured in Istanbul and at least 700 in Ankara, organizations defending human rights and doctors' unions in both cities.

These figures have not been confirmed by the authorities, the Minister of the Interior Muammer Güler Sunday citing a review of 58 civilians and 115 police injured during the 235 events recorded since last Tuesday in 67 cities.

According to Güler, the police had arrested more than 1,700 demonstrators Sunday in the country, most quickly released.

Symbolic heart of the uprising, the Taksim Square Monday regained a semblance of normalcy. By mid-afternoon, only a few hundred people, including tourists, are strolling in the sun.

Most shops have reopened but barricades still blocking the surrounding streets, a sign of the determination of protesters do not get back control of the place by the police, who deserted on Saturday order government.

In the morning, about 3,000 people marched several kilometers away, outside the headquarters of Dogus Media Group, to denounce the "submission" in the Turkish press, accused of failing to realize the extent of the protest.

The brutality of the repression has been heavily criticized, both in Turkey and in foreign countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom or France.

Even within the government, several dissenting voices were heard to lament the brutality of the police action. As Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, who advocated dialogue "rather than pulling the gas on people."

The Prime Minister acknowledged that "mistakes" had been made by the police and promised sanctions against its excesses. But he repeated that he would lead the urban development project challenged from Taksim Square to the end. And as a challenge to the demonstrators, added Sunday that there would build a mosque.

police , poratest , spring , Square , taksim , Turkish

Taksim Square - Turkey Spring; Violent clashes in Istanbul

The tension rose a notch in the night. Turkish police used tear gas Saturday morning near the Taksim Square in central Istanbul to disperse hundreds of protesters in second day of violent protests against the Turkish government..

Other incidents reported to Besiktas

After a long face-to-face with protesters who held a barricade in the Istiqlal Avenue, a pedestrian shopping street that leads to Taksim Square, the police fired a volley of tear gas to disperse the crowd . Other incidents were reported earlier in the morning in the Besiktas district, where a group of protesters came from the Anatolian side of the Turkish metropolis crossed a bridge over the dam and was dispersed by the police, Turkish media reported.

The protest, one of the largest directed against the Islamic-conservative power since taking office in 2002, is part of a demonstration against an urban development project challenged in Istanbul and several dozen wounded dozens Friday in Istanbul.

By late morning, the main roads leading to Taksim Square were barred by large police forces. After a day and a night of riots, this place famous for being one of the traditional appointment of protest in Istanbul, and the surrounding streets were littered with debris Saturday morning and shops have reopened their doors very carefully to residents and tourists. Dozens of protesters were injured in clashes on Friday, citing Amnesty International for its part "over a hundred" injured.

Political protest

The authorities gave no accurate count. Friday late afternoon, the governor of the city Huseyin Avni Mutlu merely indicate that 12 people remained hospitalized late in the day, including a woman who has a fractured skull, and at least 63 people were arrested.

The movement began Friday at dawn with the forceful intervention of the police to dislodge a few hundred activists who had occupied for three days Gezi Park in Taksim Square, in order to prevent the uprooting of 600 trees as part of an urban development project highly contested.

Rioted through social networks, community activists flocked to lend a hand to protesters and denounce the policy of the Islamic-conservative government in power since 2002. The clashes continued until dawn. "The trees, it's just the straw that broke the camel's back. People are sick and tired of everything this government is doing to them, "said the night a young protester.

By Friday evening, the challenge side of Istanbul has spread to other cities, such as Izmir (west), Antalya (south) or the capital Ankara, which are incident between the police to demonstrators who wanted march on parliament. Everywhere, the protesters denounced the repression in Istanbul and accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of violations of civil liberties.

Erdogan accused of trying to "Islamize" Turkish society

The political opposition has taken over these criticisms by flaunting the protesters. The chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the main rival of the government, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Erdogan called the police to withdraw the streets of Istanbul. At the call of social networks and the CHP, a protest is planned for Saturday afternoon on the Asian side of Istanbul.

If the per capita income has tripled in Turkey since the coming to power of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2002, Erdogan is accused of authoritarian excesses and wanting to "Islamize" Turkish society. Last week, the passing of a law restricting the sale and consumption of alcohol has raised the ire of liberal circles. Silent on these events since Friday, the head of the government said on Wednesday it would not back down. "Do what you want, we decided," he shouted to his critics.

Government , istanbul , Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , spring , taksim , Turkey