Turkish Protesters Escalate Movement, Minister Apologizes

Local Editor

The apology of the Turkish government found no way to the protesters' movements.

Following an apology from Turkey's government over deadly protests this week, fresh violence erupted early Wednesday when police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in Istanbul and Ankara.

Demonstrators had been trying to march on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's offices in both cities and defied warnings to disperse.
Clashes also erupted in the southeastern city of Hatay on the border with Syria, where a 22-year-old protester died a day earlier after being wounded during a protest.

In the western city of Izmir, police detained at least 25 people early Wednesday for tweeting "misleading and libelous information", state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc apologized to legitimate demonstrators injured by the security forces, a gesture welcomed by the United States.

But protesters remained defiant.

Thousands gathered at Istanbul's Taksim Square for a sixth day Wednesday, yelling defiance at Erdogan, who earlier had dismissed the protesters as "extremists" and "vandals". He was in Algeria on the second day of a four-day official visit to north Africa.
"The vandals are here! Where is Tayyip?" yelled the crowd.
They accused Erdogan of imposing conservative reforms on the nation.
Even fans from rival football teams Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce linked arms, united in protest.

The wave of protests broke out on Friday after police tear-gassed demonstrators at a peaceful rally against plans to build on an Istanbul park.
On Tuesday, Arinc said sorry to those who had been caught up in that initial violence.
"I apologize to those who were subject to violence because of their sensitivity for the environment," he said, though he added that his apology excluded "the rioters".

"The government has learnt its lesson from what happened," he added. "We do not have the right and cannot afford to ignore people. Democracies cannot exist without opposition."

He called on "responsible citizens" to stop the protests.

Three people have been killed in the clashes, officials and medics say, and rights groups say thousands have been injured. The government puts the figure at around 300.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team