Protests in Turkey continue the third day

Several thousand demonstrators spent the night in the Gezi Park, from which the police were withdrawn on the eve, reports The Times of Israel. The situation there remained calm. However, clashes with the police continued in another area of ​​Istanbul, near the office of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, as well as in Ankara.

According to the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs, 939 people were detained from Friday throughout the country. Doctors said that about a thousand people in Istanbul and several hundred in other cities were injured.

On Saturday evening, Erdogan admitted that the actions of the authorities during the dispersal of the demonstrators were erroneous. The police were given an order to leave Taxim Square in Istanbul. It was immediately filled with thousands of demonstrators. They perceived the retreat of the police as their first victory. The barriers around the Gezi park were dismantled. Festivities began there.

The unrest in Turkey began on Friday after the police with the use of tear gas dispelled a sedentary strike on Taxim. Its participants protested against the plans of the authorities to destroy the Gezi Park located there and build a shopping and entertainment complex in its place.

Protests quickly took on an anti -government character. “This is not about the park. This is about what they don’t hear. This is about the fact that the authorities are abused by force. This is about the censorship of the media. This is about the unprotected minority. This is about democracy,” the leaflet published on Facebook says. The demonstrators are chanted "Unit against fascism" and "Government to resign!"

“The park is just a symbol for us,” said one of the demonstrators. “If we manage to defend the park, then we can also win in other political things. We will continue to fight, if necessary.” Protest participants believe that Erdogan who has been in power since 2002 has increasingly inclined to authoritarianism and pursues a policy of Islamization of the country. Last week, the parliament adopted a law that limits the sale and use of alcoholic beverages. Previously, a ban on public kisses was introduced as "inappropriate couples." During the reign of the party of justice and development, dozens of famous artists, writers, scientists, and cultural figures left the country.

By the evening of Friday, the protest wave swept throughout Turkey. The demonstrations took place in Ankara, Izmir, Eskishekhir, Bursa, Mersin, Kong and other cities of the country. Early morning, on Saturday, a group of protesters of hundreds of people switched from the Asian part to the European through the Ataturka bridge, where it is forbidden to go to pedestrians to help demonstrators in Taxim. Promotions in different cities lasted at night and throughout Saturday. To accelerate protesters, the police used vodtetes and tear gas.

Clashes with the police in Turkey

The main Turkish television channels do not suffer enough protest shares, their participants say. “We are outraged by the silence of television,” one of them said. “But we organize through social networks.” Numerous photos are published on the #OCCUPYGEZI website.

Units of the police special forces from other regions of the country, including from very distant Antalya, were transferred to Istanbul. On Saturday afternoon, Erdogan made a harsh speech, saying that the reconstruction of the park would continue. The prime minister called on the protesters to terminate the shares. He stated that in response to bring millions of supporters of the ruling party to the streets.

However, by evening he softened his position. “Unfortunately, there are mistakes in the actions of our security forces, especially with regard to the use of tear gas. This issue is now being studied in the ministry. When the protests have exceeded a reasonable line, we also crossed the line in some ways,” the prime minister said.

Representatives of world brands are announcing the refusal to place their stores in the projected center on Taxim Square. “We cannot close our eyes to the reaction that the public demonstrates. I will not open my store in the Gezi Park,” said the founder of the Silk & Cashmeere brand Aishzan Zanapur. The heads of several other companies also made similar statements.

Amnesty International condemned the police tactics towards demonstrators. “The Turkish authorities should prohibit the police with any excessive use of force and immediately begin an investigation of cases of abuse,” said John Dalhizen, director of the European and Central Asian program. The United States and the EU expressed concern about the strict actions of the Turkish authorities.