The protests in Turkey continue, with police upping the use of force to break up even peaceful demonstrations. Via Reuters:
Turkish riot police fired water cannon to disperse thousands of anti-government demonstrators in central Istanbul on Saturday, as Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan castigated those behind protests he said had played into the hands of Turkey’s enemies.
The latest unrest in Taksim Square punctured six days of relative calm in Turkey’s biggest city, although it was a long way from matching the ferocity of previous clashes there and in other cities that began more than three weeks ago.
Demonstrators threw carnations at a phalanx of officers carrying shields who slowly advanced towards them, flanked by water cannon, to clear the square.
“Police, don’t betray your people!” activists shouted after they had been scattered into streets leading to Taksim. Witnesses said police later used teargas to disperse pockets of protesters on a main shopping street nearby.
Hours earlier, Erdogan had told thousands of supporters in the Black Sea city of Samsun that the unrest had played into the hands of Turkey’s enemies.
This comes on top of a crackdown on social media and intimidation of the media which appeared to have crushed the protests. The “standing man” silent protests became a symbol of passive resistence.
https://twitter.com/Nivrep_Te/status/348540917218680834
very powerful image from earlier today via .@ZeynepUnal pic.twitter.com/m8VbLuS2JF #occupygezi #Turkey #nonviolentresistance
— Arzu Geybulla (@arzugeybulla) June 22, 2013
#turkey #censorship :.
CNN Turk: police not using tear gas but there is clouds pic.twitter.com/f6hewBWc39— Storyteller (@saral65) June 22, 2013
#çapulculartaksime polis Çiçek Pasajını gaz bombalarıyla doldurdu pic.twitter.com/FhhJ9dwvPj
— Ulusal Kanal (@ulusalkanal) June 22, 2013
Minutes before #police intervention in #Taksim, #Turkey. #erdogan pic.twitter.com/WmeqMVwnfc
— Mark Bentley (@MarkABentley) June 22, 2013
https://twitter.com/volkanincecay/status/348544561418739713
Molto bella RT “@kaytazoff: Earlier at #taksim sq [photo U.Taylan] pic.twitter.com/HkVifgPTzU”
— Marina Petrillo (@alaskaHQ) June 22, 2013
Rubber bullet use by turkish police against peaceful demonstrations http://t.co/Eg22JpfCgf http://t.co/aukpzyEt2L #occupygezi #occupybrazil
— Taksim News (@NewsTaksim) June 22, 2013
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Comments
I just posted something to the order of wishing for the return of the cold war era CIA where covert activity was a given. Turkey is an excellent opportunity for involvement unlike them thar’ other countries like Egypt, Libya and Syria in that Turkey still has the basis for democratic secular government.
But nooooooooo, the fallacy of political correctness now trumps all other considerations even though most threaten our way of life if not our survival.
We missed a golden opportunity a couple of years ago in Iran and I’m sure that we’ll blow this one as well…
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