Istanbul, protesters towards Taksim Square
The police stand to stop them

ISTANBUL – High voltage in Istanbul where thousands of protesters are trying to return to Taksim Square, the scene of demonstrations for over a month. Once again, they are demanding the resignation of the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The police, in riot gear and with trucks equipped with water cannons, however, are deployed on the edge of the square to prevent protesters from reaching their destination. Protesters also protest against the decision of an Ankara court that left an agent on the loose accused of having killed a demonstrator with a bullet in the head. And just in the capital there were incidents between the police and several hundred protesters protesting against the judges’ decision. Riot forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters.

In the afternoon there was another demonstration to denounce the death yesterday in the Kurdish village of Lyce, near Diyarbakir, of a protestor. Demonstrators contested a plan to expand a military base in the village of Lyce. The death of the demonstrator caused a surge in tension with the Kurdish community (about 20% of the population of Turkey). Events are also scheduled tomorrow in different cities of the country.

(June 29, 2013)