| Author (Corporate) | BBC |
|---|---|
| Series Title | BBC News |
| Series Details | 12.06.13 |
| Publication Date | 12/06/2013 |
| Content Type | News |
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Continuing reports of the outbreak of social unrest and protests in Turkey, June 2013 (see ESO: Background information related url for earlier developments). Demonstrators accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of becoming increasingly authoritarian and trying to impose conservative Islamic values on a secular state. Turkish riot police used tear gas to disperse thousands of anti-government demonstrators who gathered on Taksim Square in Istanbul on the 11-12 June 2013, after a further day of sporadic clashes and increasing impatience from Mr Erdogan. He defended the police action, saying that an environmental movement had been hijacked by people who wanted to harm Turkey. EurActiv reported that the members of the European Parliament expressed grave concern on the 12 June 2013 about the Turkish government’s response to the Gezi Park protests that have polarised the country over the last three weeks. There was less consensus on whether speeding up EU accession negotiations could help the democratisation process in Turkey. Deutsche Welle wrote on the 12 June 2013 that the Turkish government in its latest attempt to quell nearly two weeks of public protests had hinted that it might hold a referendum on the redevelopment of a popular park in the concrete jungle of Istanbul. Members of the European Parliament the 13 June 2013 urged the Turkish government to stop police brutality against protesters gathering for the second week in Istanbul. |
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| Source Link | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22866238 |
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| Countries / Regions | Turkey |
