Tens of thousands filled Taksim Square June 8 a week after the police’s withdrawal from Gezi Park to hold one of the biggest demonstrations since the beginning of the protests. The ultras of two irreconcilable football clubs of Istanbul – Beşiktaşand Fenerbahçe – had called on supporters to join the demonstration and stood in the forefront of the massive protest. Fans of Galatasaray and other [...] → Read the full article…
Turkish demonstrators clashed with police last night and a second protester was killed, as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan predicted an early end to the unrest while the U.S. urged police restraint. A 22-year-old man was shot dead by unidentified gunmen during an anti-government rally in the southern province of Hatay, local Governor Mehmet Celalettin Lekesiz said. One person had been killed [...] → Read the full article…
PM Erdoğan says the controversial military barracks to be built in Taksim will not be used as a shopping mall, while promising to build a a mosque in the iconic square Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stepped back from building a shopping mall in the Artillery Barracks project to replace Taksim Gezi Park, while also announcing that a [...] → Read the full article…
President Abdullah Gül has intervened to stop the police crackdown in Taksim, urging “sensitivity and maturity” to calm the five day long tensions down. Official sources told the Hürriyet Daily News that around 2:30 p.m. Gül called the Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, Interior Minister Muammer Güler and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Emphasizing that the situation was “very sensitive,” Gül urged [...] → Read the full article…