Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tim Drayton]

A list of events reported later in the night by Bir Gün newspaper:

00.52 The police are staging a very heavy intervention in Taksim’s Cihangir quarter.
00.50 The first barricade set up on Bahariye Street in Kadıköy.
01.10 Lawyer Ramazan Demir: "According to lists at the police, the number of people arrested in Taksim is 26."
01.00 Protesters open the doors of Kadıköy Municipality and the Süreyya Opera.
01.10 At Istanbul, Kadıköy, Bahariye Street groups form barricades to counter the police intervention.
01.22 In Cihangir, a person has been injured after being struck in the head by a gas capsule.
01.38 In Cihangir, the police launch a further assault.
01.35 Aycan Karaali, who is alleged to have been injured and be in a critical condition, has denied these stories on his Facebook page.
02.05 Güven Erkin Erkal: In Kadıköy, a 20-year-old citizen named Gözde Işık was arrested while photographing gang members kitted out in official attire.
02.00 Eren Karaman, who was struck by a gas capsule in Nurtepe, may lose his right eye.
02.28 In Kadıköy Rasimpaşa, the people, suffering the effects of tear gas canisters, have come down into the street. They have erected barricades in side streets.

http://birgun.net/haber/turkiye-ahmet-a ... -3826.html

[Tim Drayton]

Western press pretty quiet about events today.

... however, CNN reports on demos in various cities ...

... " Hatay, Turkey (CNN) -- Clashes erupted across Turkey on Tuesday after a predawn skirmish between police and protesters left one demonstrator dead in the border province of Hatay.
Crowds of demonstrators gathered in the cities of Istanbul, Ankara and Hatay to denounce the death of Ahmet Atakan, a 22-year-old who recently graduated from accounting school... "

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/10/world ... ?hpt=hp_t2

I was surprised that there was no mention of this on the BBC's Today radio programme this morning. Perhaps the attitude among the Western ruling elite is that since the islamofascist regime in Turkey that is clearly responding with disproportionate force, and with tragic results, to peaceful protest - the whole thing was really sparked off because the police refused permission for a handful of members of Taksim Solidarity to lay down some carnations in what is supposed to be the public square in Taksim and read a brief statement - is our islamofascist regime, it doesn't matter.

The report about the police using a white powder that induces coughing and nausea is troubling. There is already abundant evidence that the police are adding a chemical that causes extreme skin irritation to the water sprayed at protestors from water cannons. The only difference between this and the use of sarin gas is quantitative not qualitative -this surely still amounts to chemical warfare. If the Assad regime really did use sarin against its own people, then this of course was a heinous crime, and nothing can detract from that, but it is a bit hypocritical for those who condemn Assda's use of chemical weapons against his own people to remain silent when the Turkish regime does the same.

[Tim Drayton]

The following coverage by CNN seems quite fair to me, though.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/10/world ... ?hpt=wo_c2

[Tim Drayton]

The police in Taksim last night apparently did all they could to prevent journalists from taking pictures of events; they were seemingly particularly sensitive about arrests being photographed. Here the journalist Ahmet Şık - who stands accused of being a terrorist in a notorious lawsuit for the “crime” of writing a book documenting how Fethullah Gülen’s Islamist organisation has infiltrated and virtually taken control of the Turkish police force - is photographed being threatened at gunpoint by a policeman simply for the “offence” of trying to record what was going on - surely what journalists are supposed to do. Perhaps it is poetic justice that somebody else captured this moment for posterity on camera.



http://birgun.net/haber/polis-gazeteci- ... -3873.html

[Tim Drayton]

Comments made to journalists by Interior Minister, Muammer Güler, about the protests [my translation]:

“Wherever they occur, our stance towards unlawful activism will continue. Let us be a little patient, let nobody view anybody else with suspicion before events unfold in full. I leave it to citizens to ensure that events do not reach that stage.”

“Everything is under close public scrutiny. As long as there is no recourse to violence, as long as there is no unlawful act, there will be no police intervention. Certain groups are trying to achieve their own ends on the back of other people’s protests. We saw this in the demonstrations held yesterday in Istanbul and various parts of the country. The moment the police are attacked with stones, sticks and fireworks, the police have got to do what is necessary. There is no need to give anyone instructions. The chief there on the spot has to act as circumstances dictate. Following the Gezi events, 189 people were detained by the judiciary and investigations continue. We also have operations against the people who are propagating these organisations. Ongoing efforts are being made by our police using all powers. My advice is that there is no point in using every event as an excuse to immediately stage a protest. This is a distressing event. We do want anybody to have as much as a nosebleed. But, if we create an atmosphere of daily conflict with the police, similar negative events may occur. There is fresh footage. We are examining this; it seems that he fell from a height. There is no doubt that there was no intervention by the police. In spite of everything, this was an unfortunate event, a distressing event. Using this as an excuse, the attempt is being made to create an atmosphere of extreme conflict by setting citizen against citizen. Opinion formers are consulting with all segments. I call on everyone to act with circumspection. The footage is shedding light on everything. There was no intervention by the police vehicle that was passing at the time. All of the information, documentation and footage is in the hands of the judiciary. Everyone should wait patiently. I once again express my wish that the deceased find the grace of God”

http://www.radikal.com.tr/politika/muam ... iz-1150283

[Tim Drayton]

Now that Gezi Park keeps opening and closing as the authorities deem expedient, somebody has come up with the great idea of creating a website showing whether the park is currently open or closed:

www.geziparkistatus.com

[bill cobbett]

Thousands march in Istanbul, demanding justice for the six people who have lost their lives during the protests...

[Tim Drayton]

Protests against Ahmet Atakan's death continued for a second night yesterday in some suburbs of Anakara and in Kadıköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul. Protesters erected barricades in a number of places and set fire to them. The police intervened with their usual violence, sparking violent clashes.

[Tim Drayton]

Thousands march in Istanbul, demanding justice for the six people who have lost their lives during the protests...

This is the group that marched on Kadıköy ferry terminal.

[Tim Drayton]

A video showing showing some of the events in Kadıköy last night. You may be prompted to take a survey, in which case click 'Anketi geç' in the top-right hand part of the screen and the video will start.

http://webtv.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/498 ... ahale.aspx