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by **Tim Drayton** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:18 am

Kikapu wrote:
Tim Drayton wrote:By the way, if the news reports suggesting that the police are close to breaking point is true, this could be very bad news for Erdoğan. The police force was the Islamists first target and they infiltrated and took it over by the end of the 1980's. The police are on their side. The military, on the other hand, has been very quiet but I cannot see them lifting a finger to save Erdoğan's bacon. The advantage that Erdoğan has is that he was genuinely elected; the disadvantage he has compared to Gaddafi, Mubarak and Assad is that he does not have the army on his side.

Given the way that he is refusing to compromise in order to defuse tension, my guess is that America will orchestrate an in-party coup to replace him with a leader more able and willing to broker a deal with the protesters.

Maybe more than just breaking point, Tim.

This is actually a very sad story.

Six Turkish policemen commit suicide during Gezi protests, union head says

“The violence you see at the end is the reflection of the violence suffered by the policemen. They are not just subjected to violence by protesters, but by 120-hour consecutive working periods, stale bread and food. The police are already subjected to violence within the establishment,” Sezer said.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/six-tu ... sCatID=341

I reported that a little earlier in this thread, actually, and I agree that from a human angle this is tragic. There was also a story of an injured policeman being refused treatment by hospital staff, which is reprehensible if understandable.

However, you must admit that the potential political consequences of this could be huge. The police are all the regime has.

by **Tim Drayton** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:22 am

I see the protesters have a radio station as well.

http://geziradyo.org/

by **Lordo** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:25 am

tim do you not think that they have the army in their grasp too.

by **Tim Drayton** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:35 am

Lordo wrote:tim do you not think that they have the army in their grasp too.

I don't think so, although allegedly the Gulenists have made some inroads as far as infiltrating the army goes.

Don't forget that about 300 people, many of them respected retired military officers, have recently been convicted and given heavy sentences in the 'Sledgehammer' coup trial (now under appeal), even though a lot of the documents submitted as the main evidence, coup plans purported to have been drawn up in 2003, have been conclusively shown to have been worked on using the 2007 version of the Word program, i.e. some of these documents could not possibly date from 2003. I think there is anger boiling away in the ranks about these things.

Perhaps you know differently.

I would even be interested to see what would happen if the gendarmerie, which is part of the military structure, were called in. They did intervene in Erzincan last week.

I personally cannot see the Turkish armed forces lifting a finger to save Erdoğan, but apart from that I just hope they stay out of things, as they have been doing so far.

by **Tim Drayton** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:36 am

A picture from the mass support rally in Taksim square yesterday:

by **Tim Drayton** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:38 am

Meanwhile, Erdoğan was addressing his own supporters in Ankara yesterday:

by **Tim Drayton** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:45 am

The main group group of protestors in Taksim at work strengthening their barricades last night:

by **Kikapu** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 7:23 pm

Tim Drayton wrote:
Kikapu wrote:
Tim Drayton wrote:
Kikapu wrote:Basically, what Erdogan wants to do with the Presidential system if it should get that far, just as it happens in other undemocratic Muslim countries, is the have the Erdogan family Dynasty rule Turkey for the next few hundred years . This is where he wants to take Turkey.

I think you are right, and at the very last minute the Turkish people - especially the younger generation - have put their foot down. It is not going to happen. They can't force people to live like they do in Saudi Arabia, either. It is now politically impossible in Turkey.

It is good for the Turkish Cypriots, as well, because the Turkish regime was starting to view their staunch secularism with great suspicion. That was one of the next targets.

Hey, Erdogan already called us TCs as being "kept Parasites"!

But some TCs here on the forum still believe in Erdogan.

I know a fair number of TCs in person, and none of them is a fan of Erdoğan. Perhaps it is just the company I keep.

Have you noticed that a few right-wing TC politicians have started going on the pilgrimage to Mecca and making sure that this fact is given media coverage? This is obviously in the effort to insinuate themselves with the new Ankara elite. They may have wasted their time.
Bloody fools.