Clashes have taken place between police and anti-government protesters
in the streets leading to a central square in Istanbul, as Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has displayed a show of strength in a
rally organised by his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party only a
few kilometers away from the violence.
Thousands of protesters have been trying to reach Taksim Square on Sunday after overnight police intervention at an Istanbul park where anti-government protests were first ignited more than two weeks ago.
Riot police fired
bursts of tear gas and water cannon on Sunday after a night of unrest
to try to prevent demonstrators from regrouping and keep them away from
Taksim Square, where Gezi Park is located.
Bulldozers removed barricades and municipal workers swept the streets around the central Taksim Square, sealed off by police, after thousands took to the streets overnight following the raid on the park.
Meanwhile,
speaking at his party's pro-government rally in Istanbul, Erdogan
accused international media of "lying", apparently referring to the
coverage of the recent protests. He said that foreign media sources were
not portraying an accurate representation of Turkey.
"Come on
BBC, CNN and Reuters… Display this differently as well," he told tens of
thousands of supporters. "This is the real picture of Turkey, despite
international media."
He also targeted the European parliament
over a resolution it adopted regarding the protests. "Turkey is not a
country that can be convicted by parliaments that do not know about
Turkey," Erdogan said, adding the EU should "know [its] place!".
In
a resolution passed on Thursday in Strasbourg, the EU institution
warned the government against the use of "harsh measures" against
peaceful protestors and urged Erdogan to take a "unifying and
conciliatory" stance. It also expressed its "deep concern" at the
disproportionate and excessive use of force by Turkish police.
Erdogan
on Sunday rejected protesters' allegations that he had been dictatorial
in his actions, asserting that the demonstrators in Gezi Park were "not
sincere". He reiterated that he would await a final court verdict on
the controversial urban development project at the centre of the
protests in Gezi Park.
Throughout Saturday night and Sunday,
police forces entered hotels and other buildings harbouring injured
protesters in Istanbul, using tear gas inside buildings and detaining
demonstrators.
There have been rallies and clashes in
cities such as capital Ankara, Izmir, Eskisehir, Bursa, Antalya and
Adana following police’s intervention in Gezi Park in Saturday evening
and Sunday.
Hundreds of police officers have poured
into Istanbul in order to work around Taksim Square and Kazlicesme,
where the pro-government rally has taken place.
‘No access to Taksim Square’
Meanwhile, Istanbul's governor said on Sunday that the planned
gathering by an anti-government protest group in Taksim Square would not
be allowed to go ahead.
"There is a call for
gathering in Taksim at 4:00pm [local time; 13:00GMT]," Governor Huseyin
Avni Mutlu told reporters. "Any call for Taksim will not contribute to
peace and security. After the current environment becomes stable, they
can continue exercising their democratic rights. Under current
circumstances we will not allow any gathering."
Mutlu said two police officers were shot during Saturday’s riots by live ammunition, adding that they are in good condition.
He
also confirmed the reports that doctors helping protesters were
arrested. "Yes, doctors have been arrested but they are acting in
conjunction with the protesters," he said.
He also rejected reports claiming that water sprayed from water cannon at protesters contained any additional chemicals.
In
Ankara, police forces have prevented a large group of people from
entering capital Ankara’s central Kizilay Square. Water cannon and tear
gas have been used by riot police against protesters.
The group
was trying to enter the square following protester Ethem Sarisuluk's
funeral in order to commemorate him where he died.
The
government says the demonstrators are being manipulated by illegal
groups seeking to sow instability while the movement says that the
government has been acting increasingly authoritarian.
Turkey
has been in turmoil since late May after a sit-in protest against an
urban development project at Gezi Park of Istanbul transformed into
countrywide anti-government demonstrations
No comments:
Post a Comment