| Author (Corporate) | Deutsche Welle |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Article |
| Series Details | 01.06.13 |
| Publication Date | 01/06/2013 |
| Content Type | News |
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Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets of various cities in Turkey in June 2013. They were Turkey's fiercest anti-government protests in years. The unrest was sparked by the government's planned reconstruction of an Ottoman-era barracks to house shops or apartments on Istanbul's Taksim Square, a longtime hub of political protest. But the movement turned into a nationwide call to action from protesters who accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) of gradually imposing Islamist rule in the secular country. Some protesters said that authoritarian tendencies on the part of Mr Erdogan were the root cause of the scale of discontent, citing measures such as a new law to restrict the consumption of alcohol. Tensions had been growing between the Islamist-rooted government and secular middle-class Turks. But Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that the tens of thousands of demonstrators who had convulsed Istanbul and other major Turkish cities represented only a minority of the country and vowed not to be deflected from carrying out his broader plans. The demonstrations raised international concern after the government's harsh crack down on the protesters. Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the European Commission, issued a statement saying 'The High Representative expresses deep concern at the violence that occurred in Istanbul and some other cities in Turkey, and regrets disproportionate use of force by members of the Turkish police'. |
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| Source Link | http://www.dw.de/government-crackdown-on-turkey-protests-draws-condemnation/a-16853750 |
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| Countries / Regions | Turkey |
