The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
June 12, 2013

Turkish Riot Police Clear Istanbul Square in Harshest Crackdown to Date 
------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
Turkish riot police have forcibly removed throngs of protesters from
Istanbul's Taksim Square after nearly two weeks of demonstrations.
Beginning Tuesday and lasting overnight, officers fired tear gas and
water cannons into a crowd of thousands of people, forcing them to
disperse. Thousands of demonstrators also faced tear gas and water
cannons in the capital Ankara. It was the most violent police crackdown
since the initial protest against the razing of an Istanbul public park.
The movement has since grown into a call for Turkish Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan's resignation over what opponents call authoritarian and
anti-secular tendencies. Turkish medics say around 5,000 people have
been treated for injuries since the unrest began. In a statement,
Amnesty International criticized the Turkish government, saying:
"Instead of continuing to repress peaceful activists, Turkish
authorities should look at the actions of their own police and bring to
justice those responsible for the shocking abuse we have seen." Erdogan
had previously agreed to meet with protest leaders in a meeting set for
today. Riot police continue to surround Taksim Square in a bid to
prevent the demonstrators' return.

 

.