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Turkish police re-enter Istanbul's Gezi Park

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Riot squad use tear gas and water cannon in Taksim area after speech by PM ordering protesters to leave.


Turkish police have entered Gezi Park in Istanbul, hours after the prime minister called for protesters there to disperse, and following similar action in nearby Taksim Square.
Dozens of riot police gathered on Tuesday on the fringes of the park, where environmental protests two weeks ago over a proposed redevelopment escalated into nationwide anti-government demonstrations following a police crackdown.
Earlier, police re-entered nearby Taksim Square in an effort to remove signs of "occupation" erected by protesters. They fired tear gas and water cannon while being pelted with petrol bombs, fireworks and stones by a small number of protesters.
In a speech to MPs, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said protesters still in Gezi Park should understand they were being used in a "dirty game" by anti-government groups.
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"It's not a place to be occupied…there is a big game being played using Gezi Park as an excuse," he said. 
"They are trying to damage the Turkish economy, shut down the growth of Turkey. I want the Gezi Park protesters to understand that they are being used in a dirty game." 
After days of blaming extremists and foreigners for provoking the protests, Erdogan extended his ire to "capitalist groups, interest groups and media groups", adding that Gezi Park protesters were "being used openly by people who want to damage the economy, investment and tourism".
Banners removed
Taksim Square has been at the centre of anti-government demonstrations over the past two weeks.
The governor of Istanbul, Huseyin Avni Mutlu, said on Twitter that police were in Taksim Square only to remove banners and placards and the action was not targeting the removal of those people in the area. Banners from far-left groups were removed by the police.
A statement from Mutlu's office said the aim of the intervention was to remove the banners of various groups in the square, which were making it look as though it was under "occupation". This was "negatively affecting our country's image in the eyes of the world opinion and leading to reaction from within the society".
Mutlu later said that police would only remain in the square to prevent anyone surrounding the Ataturk Cultural Centre and Republic Monument.
In his to his MPs, Erdogan said that three young people had "lost their lives" in the protests, and a policeman had been "martyred".