Tag Archives: pepper spray

The Economist: The new young Turks

Protests against Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his ham-fisted response, have shaken his rule and his country IT BEGAN with a grove of sycamores. For months environmentalists had been protesting against a government-backed plan to chop the trees down to make room for a shopping and residential complex in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. They organised a peaceful sit-in with tents, singing and [...] → Read the full article…

The New York Times: Peaceful protest over Istanbul park turns violent as police crack down

Tolga Bozoglu/European Pressphoto Agency

ISTANBUL — Police officers attacked a group of peaceful demonstrators on Friday in Istanbul’s Taksim Square with water cannons and tear gas, sending scores of people, protesters and tourists alike, scurrying into shops and luxury hotels and turning the center of this city into a battle zone at the height of tourist season. The police action was the latest violent [...] → Read the full article…

MailOnline: Horrifying image of ‘woman in red’ being doused with pepper spray becomes symbol of Turkish protests

Photograph of woman turning from the pepper spray has become defining image of Turkey’s days of violent protest Women feel threatened by official promotion of the Islamic headscarf and concerns about women’s rights  Many have joined in the street fighting raging in Turkey since Friday British student Melisa Kenber said she was sprayed in the face for filming police during [...] → Read the full article…

FRANCE 24: Scores injured as police clash with protesters in Istanbul

Scores of people were injured on Friday after Turkish police fired tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons at demonstrators occupying a park in Istanbul over plans for a major construction project. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons at hundreds of demonstrators on Friday, injuring scores in a bid to break up a four-day protest against a major [...] → Read the full article…