Riot police in Istanbul are withdrawing from Taksim Square and allowing the mass protest to continue unabated, Turkish state media reports. Istanbul and Ankara are seeing a second day of violent protests, with tear gas and water cannons being deployed.
Minor scuffles
broke out after protesters lobbed fireworks at officers as they
were drawing back, the state-run Anadolu Agency reports. Police
removed barricades around the square, located in the heart of the
city, which had previously been erected to prevent the
anti-government protests, Private Dogan news agency said.
Despite the authorities decision to allow thousands to flood onto
the square, the main subway gateway to Taksim, the central
station in the city’s metro network, has reportedly been shut
down in an effort to keep more people from reaching the ongoing
protests.
Earlier the bridge over the Bosphorous Strait in Istanbul was
blocked by thousands of protesters heading west from the eastern
part of the city in an effort to reach the centrally located
square, which has been cordoned off by police.
In the capital, Ankara, security forces battled with
demonstrators who had amassed at a park near Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s office. Rallies have also been staged in the
cities of Bodrum, Konya and Izmir.
Confronted with the growing street opposition, Erdogan remained
defiant, demanding that protesters “stop their demonstrations
immediately.”
“Police were there yesterday, they’ll be on duty today and
also tomorrow because Taksim Square cannot be an area where
extremists are running wild,” the PM warned.
On Monday, several dozen activists tried to stage a sit-in in
Gezi Park, the last area of green space left on Taksim Square,
after several trees were torn up to make way for a commercial
redevelopment.
Erdogan dismissed the small protest on Wednesday, saying
authorities would go ahead with the plan, which entails the
construction of a replica Ottoman-era barracks that could house a
shopping mall or apartments.
Following three days of police pressure, which saw officers douse
peaceful protesters with pepper spray and tear gas, the sit-in
attracted support from broad sections of Turkish society.
On Friday morning, riot police stormed the camp, deploying water
cannons and tear gas, sparking the ongoing unrest. Human rights
activists said hundreds were wounded as clashes raged on
throughout the night.
The heavy-handed tactics deployed by police have been viewed by
demonstrators as a sign of the government’s increasingly
authoritarian bent, with the park demonstration turning into a
broader, nationwide protest against Erdogan’s government.
Similar demonstrations have flared up around the country despite
a court decision to temporarily halt demolition of the park.
Erdogan said that the Turkish Interior Ministry had launched an
investigation into the use of excessive force by security forces.
In a televised speech, the Turkish PM said police may have used
tear gas excessively during their confrontation with protesters,
although he insisted they did not represent the majority and were
responsible for raising tensions.
However, protesters have countered the claim, saying the violent
police crackdown is to blame for the recent unrest.
“This started simply as a peaceful sit-in to save a park, but
it’s become one of the worst state attacks on protesters in
recent memory — and a frightening example of the Turkish
government’s growing eagerness to crack down on its own
citizens,” an online petition demanding that Erdogan “End
the crackdown now!” reads.
“The security forces have been individually targeting
protesters to terrify, wound and kill us. 12 people have already
suffered trauma injuries from gas canisters — one man died of
heart attack, and hundreds are suffering from excessive gas
inhalation,” it continues.
This article originally appeared on: RT