Turkey threatens to deploy Army against protesters, dubs unions strike ‘illegal’ Excerpt; Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc on Monday warned the anti-government demonstrators that the army could be used if they don’t stop their protests. “Our police, our security forces are doing their jobs. If it’s not enough then the gendarmes will do their jobs. If that’s not enough ... we could even use elements of the Turkish Armed Forces,” Arinc told Turkey’s state-run TRT television, as quoted by Reuters. Meanwhile, water cannon-backed riot police have stopped a thousand-strong march of trade union workers in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The police threatened the workers with force if they didn’t give up their advance towards the city’s Kizilay district, where fierce clashes were going on yesterday. “Those of you on the streets must stop blocking the streets. Do not be provoked. The police will use force,” they shouted through megaphones. However, Turkish trade unionists kept calling for strikes and marches in cities like Istanbul, despite government threats. Five Turkish trade unions, including the 240,000-member-strong public sector union confederation KESK, have announced a nationwide strike on Monday, June 17 in protest of police violence at Taksim. “There is an attempt to bring people on to the streets through illegal protests like a strike. I want to state that it will not be permitted,” was Interior Minister Muammer Guler’s, response as quoted by AFP. On Sunday, the Ankara governor’s office said it was banning all downtown demonstrations from June 16, and threatened protesters with immediate police intervention. Clashes have been reported on Monday in the northwestern Turkish city of Eskisehir. The police have fired tear gas and peppered water to disperse crowds of protesters, and then demolished hundreds of their tents, Dogan news agency reported. In Istanbul, the police arrested 441 people during violent street clashes overnight, the city’s bar association has said. Riot police raided and chased groups of protesters marching towards the landmark Taksim Square on Sunday, using rounds of tear gas and water cannon to prevent them from regrouping.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:22:46 +0000
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