Published time: May 31, 2013 18:24
12 people have been seriously injured and hundreds suffered respiratory problems after police attacked protesters with tear gas and water cannon in an attempt to break up an Occupy Gezi Park rally in central Istanbul.
Six of the injured are suffering from serious head trauma. A
34-year old Egyptian tourist is undergoing an operation after
suffering a brain hemorrhage, Huseyin Demirduzen, from the
Istanbul Medical Chamber board, told Reuters. While a member of
the opposition Peace and Democratic Party is in intensive care in
a serious condition.
Hundreds more suffered respiratory problems due to the effects of
tear gas, Demirduzen said. Several people were injured after a
wall they were trying to climb in an attempt to get away from
clouds of tear gas collapsed underneath them.
The clashes erupted after police carried out a dawn raid against
protesters Friday, the second in as many days. Demonstrators are
angry at government plans to cut down trees in Gezi Park, next to
Taksim Square, to make way for a replica Ottoman army
barracks and a shopping mall. They say it is the last green space
of any size in the center of Istanbul.
Late Wednesday the main opposition leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu
from the Republic People’s Party (CHP) made a surprise visit to
the protest camp of several hundred demonstrators and promised
that members of his party would take turns to help the protesters
stop an attempt to bring back the bulldozers.
In the first raid against crowds on Thursday, police used a Mass
Incident Intervention Vehicle (TOMA) to disperse them before
seizing and burning some of their tents, according to the
Hurriyet Daily News.
The Peace and Democracy Party described the police intervention
as “state terror” in an e-mailed statement. Amnesty
International also said it was concerned with “the use of
excessive force” by police after what started as a peaceful
protest.
The protest at Gezi Park started on Monday after developers tore
up trees but has now become a broader demonstration against Prime
Minster Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist Justice and Development Party
(AKP).
“This isn’t about trees anymore; it’s about all of the
pressure we’re under from this government. We’re fed up; we don’t
like the direction the country is headed in,” Mert Burge, an
18 year-old student, who came to support the protesters after he
heard about the use of tear gas via twitter, told
Reuters.
In Ankara, the Turkish capital, police also used tear gas to
disperse protesters trying to reach the headquarters of the
ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in support of the
anti-government supporters in Istanbul.
Erdogan has said he wants to introduce an Ottoman cultural
revival. As well as a more assertive foreign policy, more
conservative policies are also being gradually introduced at
home. He is also authorizing a slew of multi-billion
dollar projects aimed at reflecting Turkey’s reemergence as a
major power including a third airport in Istanbul, which will be
one the world’s biggest and a shipping canal as big as the Suez
or Panama canals.
Tayyip Erdogan defended the decision concerning the Gezi Park,
saying “Whatever you do, we’ve made our decision and we will
implement it, we will revive history there.” Although the
government has denied that the mall is part of the plan,
insisting it needs the space to widen a nearby road and ease
traffic congestion, according to RTE News.
While the Istanbul deputy of Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Islamist
Justice and Development Party (AKP) Sirin Unal tweeted his
support of the police’s heavy-handed response.
“Obviously there are some people in need of gas. If you leave
there [Taksim Square] I hope you will have a good day, the system
needs to be obeyed,” he wrote.
On May Day police clashed with tens of thousands of demonstrators
in Istanbul and there have been several smaller protests against
a tightening of alcohol sales and displays of public affection as
well the government’s stance on the neighboring Syria conflict.
This article originally appeared on: RT