Published on Jun 7, 2013
Turkish PM points to foreign factor in unrest, Made public ANGER GROWS
Growing Islamism in the region is a driving force in the lifeblood of the Turkish protests, and even has the sympathy of the police, but the Turkish military is waiting in the wings, political expert Avigdor Eskin told RT.
Turkey's PM has vowed that development of Taksim Square will go ahead, despite ongoing protests. Tayyip Erdogan made the remark in Tunisia on his way back to Turkey. Erdogan is also under scrutiny, with opponents blasting him as authoritarian.
As the protests entered their seventh day, casualties have risen, with three people dead and more than 4,000 injured. What began as an environmental protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park in Istanbul to build a mall has turned into Turkey's biggest wave of anti-government protest in years.
"There is a problem called Twitter right now and you can find every kind of lie there. The thing that is called social media is the biggest trouble for society right now," Erdogan said before leaving for North Africa. The Turkish prime minister also slammed the protests as undemocratic, and dismissed them as being organized by extremists.
Growing Islamism in the region is a driving force in the lifeblood of the Turkish protests, and even has the sympathy of the police, but the Turkish military is waiting in the wings, political expert Avigdor Eskin told RT.
Turkey's PM has vowed that development of Taksim Square will go ahead, despite ongoing protests. Tayyip Erdogan made the remark in Tunisia on his way back to Turkey. Erdogan is also under scrutiny, with opponents blasting him as authoritarian.
As the protests entered their seventh day, casualties have risen, with three people dead and more than 4,000 injured. What began as an environmental protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park in Istanbul to build a mall has turned into Turkey's biggest wave of anti-government protest in years.
"There is a problem called Twitter right now and you can find every kind of lie there. The thing that is called social media is the biggest trouble for society right now," Erdogan said before leaving for North Africa. The Turkish prime minister also slammed the protests as undemocratic, and dismissed them as being organized by extremists.
In their list of demands issued to Erdogan, activists are calling for the firing of the chiefs responsible for the violent police crackdown, the release of protesters detained by police, and for a ban on the use of teargas. If these demands are fulfilled, protesters said they would end the riots.
The period of time after Erdogan returns Thursday from his three-day tour of North Africa is vital for Turkey, as public pressure may force the prime minister to reverse several of his own policies.
So far, Erdogan has only singled out scapegoats in the unrest, RT's Irina Galushko reported from Istanbul.
He assailed the social networks used by demonstrators to organize protests and post updates; many demonstrators turned to Twitter and Facebook as a mobilization tool, as local media were largely silent during the initial stages of the protests.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, who is formally in charge while Erdogan is abroad, apologized on Tuesday for the police brutality against demonstrators. Turkish police have been roundly criticized for their widespread use of teargas and water cannons to disperse crowds of protesters.
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