Turkish demos flare
September 11, 2013
Hundreds of demonstrators faced tear gas and plastic bullets from police on Tuesday in clashes that were reminiscent of demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that occurred earlier in the summer.
The death of a 22-year-old man, Ahmet Atakan, on Monday triggered the latest protests in Istanbul. Atakan is the sixth anti-government protester to be killed since June. Following Atakan's funeral on Tuesday, demonstrators allegedly launched a firecracker at police, which prompted the crackdown.
Despite witness reports to the contrary, police say Atakan fell to his death from the roof of a house after throwing stones at police. They deny he was hit in the head with a tear gas canister.
Tuesday's demonstrations took place near Istanbul's Taksim Square, the source of the unrest that has taken place in Turkey. What started out as an environmental protest against the development of a park on the square turned into a much broader protest against Erdogan and his government, which is seen as increasingly authoritarian. At the height of the demonstrations in June, some estimates place the number of wounded at 8,000.
mz/kms (AFP, AP)