Protests against Erdogan’s Government Continue in Istanbul and Ankara

Popular protests against the policies of the Turkish government of Recep Tayyip continued for the second day in a row, where thousands of protesters gathered in the streets surrounding Taksim Square in the middle of Istanbul, while the protesters in the capital Ankara headed towards the Parliament.

Media reports said the protests reflected increasing popular discontent with the practices and approach followed by Erdogan’s government and rejection of its policy towards the crisis in Syria.

Protests, the strongest against the Turkish government since years, spread after the Turkish police used tear-gas canisters against thousands of demonstrators on Friday, causing the injury of more than 100 people.

The police again tried to suppress today’s protests by using tear gas and high-pressure water hoses in an attempt to disperse the protesters and prevent them from reaching Taksim Square which witnessed violent clashes, according to the AFP and Reuters.

The anti-government protesters chanted slogans which said “Unite against Fascism” and called for the government’s resignation, voicing their rejection of Erdogan’s attempts to revive the Ottoman face of Istanbul city through carrying out a project to set up Ottoman military barracks and uprooting trees in Gazi Park in Taksim Square.

Clashes took place in several areas between the Turkish police and the protesters who were trying to reach Taksim Square, while a police helicopter flied over the city for surveillance.

The protest movement is considered the widest and largest that has faced the government of the Justice and Development Party since it took off in 2002.

Rescue people told the media that about 1000 people were injured in the clashes which erupted in Istanbul on Friday evening, while the Turkish Doctors Union said six protesters lost their sight because of the tear gas.

Pro-secularism circles in Turkey stressed that Erdogan is being despotic and seeking to “Islamicize” the Turkish society.

Media reports said the popular protests also reflected opposition of the Turkish government’s stances towards Syria.

In the capital Ankara, thousands of protesters gathered demanding that the government step down. Photos and comments on Twitter and Facebook showed protesters gathering in two sites in Izmir, where an office of the Justice and Development Party was burned by the protesters.

The spark of protests was triggered because of a project to uproot 600 trees from the Gazi Park in Taksim Square in Istanbul which is considered an outlet for the city’s citizens.

In reactions to suppressing the protests, the International Amnesty Organization expressed concern over the excessive use of force by the Turkish government against the protests which started as a peaceful move.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State only expressed its concern over the reported number of injuries in Istanbul, asserting that it is collecting information in this regard.