Cyprus-Forum.com

[bill cobbett]

On Euronews today, they have reported that some of last nights protestors in the Gazi district were throwing petrol bombs at the police. Raising fears the clashes could intensify over the weekend.

http://www.euronews.com/2013/06/08/turk ... -protests/

Petrol bombs are a good start until the foreign "aid" starts reaching them.

Yes, looks like there were intense clashes in Istanbul last night, including petrol bombs.

Vid at...

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x10oq0 ... bNllpXKyN2

[bill cobbett]

So much unity in the Opposition to Caliph Erdogan that football fans, who in Turkey are known for their especially fanatical love of club and passionate dislike of other clubs and their fans, have come together to support the protests.

Here'a a picky of the fans of the Besikstas club from earlier this pm...

[bill cobbett]

Seems to be an increase in clashes tonight, particularly in Ankara, with one claim of the use of plastic bullets at Gazi Park in Istanbul.

This evening's summary in English from independent media, unconfirmed...

23.53:
[Ankara] Police attack continues in Ankara. The police wants to arrest [the activists] in the back streets.
23.20:
[Antakya] Antakya Halkevi announces the meeting at Harbiye Yesilpinar Yol Çatı. People can participate in this meeting with their cars, motorcycles and bicycles. Route: Harbiye Yeşilpınar Yol çatı buluşma– Çevreyolu Samandağ Yolu– Baltacık– Uğur Mumcu– Armutlu– Gündüz Caddesi– Köprü başı– İnönü Cad– Maksim– Sümerler– Harbiye Yeşilpınar Yol Çatı
23.08:
[Ankara] In Meşrutiyet and Ziya Gökalp Avenues, the police is attacking with TOMAs and scorpions. The clashes continues. The back streets of Kizilay clangs with the slogans of hundreds of people (such as) "Dictator, resign" (and) "Tayyip, resign"
23.00:
[Istanbul] Police attacks with plastic bullets in Gazi.
22.53:
[Ankara] Clashes in each and every back street of Kizilay. In Mithatpaşa Avenue, the people barricade (and) set fire to the roadblocks
22.52:
[Istanbul] Beylikdüzü neighborhood walks again after people came to the Town Hall Square. Action continues with songs and ropes.
22.45:
[Antakya] ."Abdullah Cömert" exhibition is opened in the resistace park of Antakya. The people of Antakya have shown great interests to this exhibition and they are carrying rations and first aid equipments to this park. In addition, people from many neighborhoods marched towards Uğur Mumcu square. Thousands of people are marching from Uğur Mumcu Square to Sümerler to visit the resistance park.
22.42:
[Istanbul] The police attacks intensively in Gazi.
22.40:
[Tarsus] The number of the activists is now 10 thousand in Tarsus. The are singing "Gundogdu" anthem.
22.39:
[Istanbul] Police attacks the frontliners in Gazi.
22.38:
[Istanbul] Sarıgazi people walking around the neighborhood of Yenidogan, participation in the march is increasing
22.34:
[Istanbul] The march which started from the Cem-house ended at Trafo. People's podium is established. The people are expressing their own problems.
22.33:
[Ankara] The splitted people in Kizilay, fight the police in the back streets
22.18:
[Ankara] The police has come to Kızılay Square and they have attacked to people. The clashes started again.
22.11:
[Antalya] Antalya Republic Square is full of demonstrators. The advocates are informing demonstrators about their rights. People are shouting slogans such as "Antalya Bar takes side with the people"
22.09:
[Tarsus] Some 5000 people are walking towards [a place called] "Cleopatra's Gate".
21.40:
[İzmir] Torches are also lighted in Gündoğdu, Izmir Photo
21.31:
[Istanbul] The people who gathered at Beylikduzu Municipality Square, started the protest. Marching towards the inner district, the participation is increasing.
21.21:
[Bursa] In Heykel, Bursa more than 10 thousand people gathered and the place is getting more and more crowded

[bill cobbett]

Vid of earlier tonight confirms violent scenes in Ankara...

[bill cobbett]

.. and again from earlier tonight, riotous scenes in Izmir (Smyrni) ...

[Demonax]

JUNE 09 - Ankara Protesters Clash with Turkish Police

[Tim Drayton]

Tim,

It is clear that Erdogan is trying to "buy off" the protesters by giving in a little on the Gezi Park (since he can't kill them with the world looking) even if he doesn't mean it and will change his mind again later, but for him to buy some time just so to gets things back to normal, so that he can impose more of his Islamic values on many other issues on the Turks. Erdogan cannot be trusted and I doubt the protesters are going to buy into his insincere offer. In any case, as it has been pointed out by many, including yourself, the protests are no longer about more trees in Gezi Park. It has evolved into protesters demands on democracy and freedom vs Erdogan's dictatorial one man rule. At the moment the democratic western world is on the side of the demonstrators, and rightfully so, therefore the protest will continue for some time yet until something very significant happens in Turkey.

You are right, of course, to say that these protests have moved away from simply being about defending this one little bit of green space in Taksim - they have, after all, now issued a set of clearly articulated political demands. But it is still clear that finding a solution to the specific Gezi Park issue lies somewhere at the heart of things. I really do not know where this is going. Whatever else comes of this, I feel that the regime has come to the end of the road as far as being able to impose its conception of Islamic values and an Islamic life style on society. They are going to have to back off. Turkey will never be the same again after this revolt.

[Tim Drayton]

The ruling AKP’s Central Decision and Executive Council, convening under Prime-Minister Erdoğan, has decided to hold two ‘Unity and Togetherness’ meetings, one in Ankara on 15 June and one in Istanbul on 16 June. Erdoğan has called on the meetings to be held in a “manner befitting the AKP.”

http://www.radikal.com.tr/politika/gezi ... ng-1136851

[Tim Drayton]

Istanbul Provincial Governor, Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, has sent the following message on Twitter to the Gezi Park protestors:

"İki saat uyudum ve uyuyamadım. Sıcak yatakları yerine Gezi Parkı'nda yatan bu ülkenin gençlerine selam vermek için ayaktayım. Kendilerini sadece özgür birey, partiler üstünde yurttaş, hiç kimsenin peşinde olmayan, kendi düşüncelerinin savunucusu görenleri selamlıyorum.

Günlerdir gezi parkında duran bizim ülkemizin insanları ve gençlerine gecikmiş selamlarlarımızı iletiyorum. Sabahınız huzurlu olsun, merhaba.

Her türlü olumlu olumsuz değerlendirme dışında ,bizim nsanımızla,gencimizde konuşmanın ötesinde hiç birşeyin önemli olmadığına inanıyorum. Anlaşsak da anlaşmasak da bizim birbirimizle dertleşmek, birbirimizin gözüne insanca ve adaletle bakmamız şarttır, her fert değerli ve özeldir.

Her türlü eleştiriye açık bir sohbeti, Gezi Parkı'nın kendini sadece özgür birey, yurttaş olarak tanımlayan gençleriyle yapmak istiyorum. Gençler, gezi parkında kuş sesleri, ıhlamur kokusu ve arı vızıltısıyla huzurlu bir sabah varmış doğru mu? Aranızda olmak isterdim."

TRANSLATION:

“I have tossed and turned for two hours. I am on my feet to salute this country’s young people who are sleeping in Gezi Park rather than in their warm beds. I salute those who perceive themselves to be nothing but free individuals, citizens above any party, followers of nobody, the defenders of their own thoughts.

I convey my belated greetings to the people and youth of our country who for days have remained in Gezi Park.

Leaving all manner of positive and negative assessment to one side, I believe that nothing is more important than speaking with our people and our youth. Whether or not we reach agreement, we have got to share our concerns with one another and look one another in the eye with humanity and justice. Every individual is valuable and special.

I wish to engage in conversation in which there is room for all kinds of criticism with the young people of Gezi Park who define themselves purely in terms of being free individuals and citizens. Youngsters, a peaceful morning replete with the sound of birds, the scent of lime and the buzzing of bees has arrived, hasn’t it? I would like to be with you.”

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/?hn=421718&kn=7&ka=4&kb=7

[Tim Drayton]

A report in the Cumhuriyet newspaper, with quotes from a number of police officers, suggests that there is growing unease in the ranks of the police about the violent response to the protests.

Here is the translation of one paragraph of the article:

Ali Özaydın, Gezi Parkı eylemleri sırasında yaşananları kendi açısından şöyle anlatıyor: “Polis arkadaşlarımız hiç uyumadan göreve gitmiş. 24 saat boyunca gösterilerle uğraşmış. 24 saati geçince de olaylar çıktı. Bir arkadaşım, ertesi gün yatağında uyandığında ‘Ben evime nasıl geldiğimi hatırlamıyorum’ diyor. Ve kendi timini bir bayanı tekmelerken televizyondan izliyor. Ben bunu nasıl yaptım diye düşünüyor. Çünkü insanüstü çalıştırıldıklarından dolayı beyin kendini kilitliyor.” Özaydın, Tayyip Erdoğan’ın polisi değiliz diyor: “Olumsuz durumlar çıkınca da polis orantısız güç kullandı şeklinde suçlamaya giriliyor. Bugün de bunu yaşıyoruz. Polis her zaman kurban verilir, diyet polis üzerinde ödenir. Bugün bize Tayyip Erdoğan’ın çocukları diyorlar. Biz kimsenin çocuğu, uşağı değiliz. Artık polis de patlama noktasına geldi.”
Ali Özaydın gives his own take on events in the course of the Gezi Park protests: “My police colleagues have showed up on duty without sleeping at all. They have dealt with demonstrations for 24 hours. After the 24 hours are up, events are still happening. One of my colleagues says when he woke up in bed the next morning he couldn’t remember how he got home. Then he sees his team kicking a woman on television. He asks himself how he could have done that. With them putting in a superhuman effort, the brain shuts itself off.” Özaydın says they are not Tayyip Erdoğan’s police: “When negative things happen, they start accusing the police of using disproportionate force. That’s what we are seeing today. There can always be victims among the police; it is the police that pay the price. Today they are saying that we are Tayyip Erdoğan’s children. We are nobody’s children or lackeys. The police have now reached exploding point.”

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/?hn=421714&kn=7&ka=4&kb=7