Turkey is seeing its biggest wave of protests against the ruling
government in many years. Tens of thousands of people rallied across the
country Sunday for a third consecutive day of mass demonstrations. The
unrest erupted last week when thousands of people converged at
Istanbul’s Taksim Square, a public space reportedly set for demolition.
The protests have grown to include grievances against the government on a
range of issues, and protesters have managed to remain despite a heavy
police crackdown, including tear gas and rubber bullets. The Turkish
government says around 1,000 people have been detained at more than 200
protests nationwide. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed the
uproar as the work of political opponents and "extremists," vowing to
proceed with governments plans to remake Taksim Square. "I cannot tell
you how empowering this is," says Turkish scholar and activist Nazan
Ustundag. "This is a country known for [police] brutality and for the
Turkish people’s unquestioned loyalty to the state. So it’s very
exciting all these different sections of people [are] standing [up for]
the last public space which wasn’t given to private interests."
Video
Source: democracynow.org
Author: --
Video
Source: democracynow.org
Author: --
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