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June 17, 2013

Turkish Unions Stage National Strike as Crackdown Grows 
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One of Turkey's leading unions is staging a national strike today in
protest of the crackdown on nearly three weeks of protests. More than
800,000 workers are believed to be taking part. The strike follows a
weekend that saw the protests' worst violence to date. On Sunday, around
400 people were arrested as police used tear gas, water cannons and
rubber bullets in the streets of Istanbul, Ankara and other cities.
Medics treating wounded demonstrators were among those detained. On
Sunday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a massive crowd of
supporters the opposition is attempting minority rule over the majority
he enjoys.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan: "Minorities are trying to
rule over the majority. The privileged are trying to dominate victims,
and they are trying to regain their privileges. We know what is truly
behind the dirty games that they play as they pretend to care for trees,
the environment and Gezi Park. We know those who are trying to undermine
the people's will. We know them well. We won't pave the way for those
who are in search of certain options other than elections. We won't give
them the opportunity."

In his remarks, Erdogan also singled out the foreign news outlets for
their reporting on Turkey's crisis, accusing them of "lying." We'll have
more from Turkey later in the broadcast.

 

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