Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Turkish
Turkish protesters decry 'unprecedented violence'
June 3, 2013 -- Updated 1807 GMT (0207 HKT)
Turkish protesters target prime minister
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Demonstrators face "unprecedented violence," a protester says
- NEW: Medical group: More than 3,000 are wounded in two days of clashes
- The protests are the biggest movement against the prime minister in his decade in power
- Hundreds have been detained across Turkey, with most released, a local agency says
Are you in Turkey? Send your stories and photos to CNN iReport.
Istanbul (CNN) -- Protesters seething over their
treatment by security forces hurled rocks at riot police in Ankara's
Kizilay Square on Monday, the latest in a string of violent clashes that
have punctuated massive anti-government demonstrations spreading across
Turkey -- leaving thousands injured and at least one dead in the past
two days alone.
The protests united
demonstrators from across the political spectrum against a common foe:
security forces who unleashed tear gas and water cannons on them in
response to what had been largely peaceful protests against the
government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"There has been unprecedented violence against protesters and social protest," demonstrator Neslihan Ozgunes said Monday.
The Turkish Medical
Association claimed that at least 3,195 people had been injured in
clashes Sunday and Monday. Only 26 of them were in serious or critical
condition, it said. One protester, Mehmet Ayvalitas, died of his
injuries, the association said.
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The association reported
bulk of the injuries occurred in Istanbul, where the protests began
before spreading to Ankara, Izmir, Adana and other locations.
International groups including Amnesty International have criticized the police response as excessive.
In Ankara Sunday night, a
CNN crew witnessed authorities roughing up at least one protester. One
police officer kicked a CNN videographer, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh
reported. A CNN crew in Istanbul Sunday also witnessed bloodied
protesters.
Erdogan responded Monday
by dismissing the demonstrations as the work of "extreme elements" and
the complaints of brutality as baseless.
"We are servants of the
people, not masters. We did not use violence," he said before leaving
for a four-day trip to North Africa.
But Turkey's president,
Abdullah Gul, took a somewhat more conciliatory tone Monday, saying "the
messages sent in good faith have been received."
"When we talk about a
democracy we of course mean the expression of the will of the people in
electing the leaders of the country. But democracy does not just mean
elections," he said. "It is natural that outside of elections if there
are differing opinion, situations or objections that they be voiced. And
peaceful protests are a part of that."
The protests began after
plans were made to raze Gezi Park, the last green space in central
Istanbul, and replace it with a replica of 19th-century Ottoman
barracks. The development would contain a shopping mall.
What began as a sit-in
by a handful of angry residents quickly grew into a larger protest. Riot
police moved in, using tear gas and pepper spray.
Protesters responded by
hurling bottles, setting up barricades, blocking bulldozers and burning
trash in the middle of the street.
Then, outraged by the behavior of security forces, demonstrators began attacking police.
The protests have since morphed into larger complaints against Erdogan, whom protesters say is paternalistic and authoritarian.
"This park was just the
ignition of all that," said Yakup Efe Tuncay, a 28-year-old demonstrator
who carried a Turkish flag while walking through the park Saturday.
"The Erdogan government
is usually considered as authoritarian. He has a big ego; he has this
Napoleon syndrome. He takes himself as a sultan. ... He needs to stop
doing that," Tuncay said. "He's just a prime minister."
In Istanbul, the crowds
have been chanting "Tayyip resign" -- referring to Erdogan -- and
"Shoulder to shoulder against fascism."
Turkish citizens want PM to resign
Protest in Turkey turns violent
The protests have spread to 67 of Turkey's 81 provinces, according to the semi-official Anadolou News Agency.
On Monday, a
confederation of unions claiming some 240,000 members added its voice to
the anti-Erdogan chorus, saying it would go on strike against what it
called the "fascism" of Erdogan's ruling party.
On Monday, Erdogan said opponents who had failed to defeat his party in elections were trying to beat it "by other means."
"The issue of trees in Gezi Park thing is just the trigger," he said.
A day earlier, he
praised his accomplishments overseeing a decade of unprecedented
economic growth in Turkey. He also defended his record as a leader who
has planted many trees.
"They are putting on airs saying we massacre trees," he said. "We have planted approximately 2 billion trees."
He also downplayed
claims that Turkey could be on the cusp of its own "Arab Spring" -- the
series of popular uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East that led
to political upheaval in Tunisia and Egypt, particularly.
"Those in Turkey who
speak of the Turkish Spring are right; the season is, in fact, spring,"
he said. "But there are those trying to turn it into a winter."
Asli Aydintasbas, a
columnist for Milliyet Newspaper, said Erdogan is the most powerful and
popular politician Turkey has seen in generations. But his approach to
leadership doesn't sit well with all Turks, she said.
"We have a prime
minister who has done great deeds and he really has run the economy
well," she said. "But you also have this paternalistic style: 'I know
what's good for you. I, as your father, can decide on the park, the
bridge, the city and the constitution.' So, I think people are just
wanting to have a more inclusive form of democracy in Turkey."
Hugh Pope, a senior Turkey analyst with the International Crisis Group, called the protests "completely unprecedented."
He said Erdogan was
caught off guard by them. Most demonstrators, Pope said, are
"overwhelmingly ordinary people" who simply want their voices heard.
"However there are other
demonstrators who are somewhat more opportunistic in the left-wing
factions who normally don't get much in the way of airtime in Turkey and
are camped on Taksim square," Pope said.
"They have outposts
where they are delivering their message, and in fact it has to be said
that they are sometimes on the front line of the protestors in the
fights against the police at the barricades," he said.
Erdogan's chief adviser,
Ibrahim Kalin, said Saturday that the protesters have a right to
express their discontent, within limits.
"People are entitled to
disagreement with the government; they can exercise their democratic
rights, but they can do so within the context of a democratic society,"
he said.
CNN's Talia Kayali contributed to this report.
By:CNN NEWS (www.cnn.com)
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