ISTANBUL: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded yesterday an immediate end to a week of anti-government unrest, saying the protests which erupted over the redevelopment of an Istanbul park had been founded on a “campaign of lies”.
Defending the wide use of tear gas in a police crackdown, Erdogan said similar action had been taken during protests in European countries such as Greece, as well as in the United States.
Erdogan flew back to a country rocked by its worst unrest for decades in the early hours and declared before a sea of flag-waving supporters at Istanbul airport: “These protests must end immediately.”
“No power but Allah can stop Turkey’s rise,” he told thousands who gathered to greet him after a visit to North Africa, in the first pro-Erdogan rally since the demonstrations began.
Western governments including the United States, which sees Turkey as a vital Nato ally in the Middle East, have expressed concern about heavy-handed police action. Washington has long projected Turkey under Erdogan as an example of a Muslim democracy that could be emulated by other countries in the region, such as Egypt.
Speaking from an open-topped bus at the airport, his wife at his side, Erdogan acknowledged police might have used excessive force in crushing a small demonstration against the building project in an Istanbul park last Friday - the action that triggered nationwide protests against his 10-year-old rule. However, he said they were doing their duty.
European Union enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele expressed his concern about the developments in Turkey, which is a candidate to join the bloc. “Excessive use of force by police against these demonstrations has no place in such a democracy,” he said, adding those responsible needed to be swiftly held to account. Erdogan countered by saying an investigation was under way.
Erdogan gave no indication of any immediate plans to remove the makeshift protest camps that have appeared on Istanbul’s Taksim Square and a park in the capital, Ankara. But the gatherings mark a challenge to a leader whose authority is built on three successive election victories.
He said the protests against plans to build on the park in Taksim Square, which campaigners say were forced through without consultation, were based on “terrible disinformation” and “a campaign of lies”. “We have been talking to every segment of the society since we took power. I announced our project on Gezi Park before the 2011 elections with an animated video, and nobody reacted until today,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc apologised for the police violence this week while Erdogan was away in North Africa. Among the demonstrators are now nationalists, socialists, students, trade unionists, radical leftists and middle class professionals, many of whom may have benefited from a booming economy but remain sceptical of Erdogan.
“We were not expecting him to welcome us but we’re getting more and more impatient now. People are angry,” said Ozlem Arkun, 27, handing out cake at an impromptu cafe on Taksim.
Reuters
