Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has followed up last night’s pledge to end the protests in Istanbul within the next 24 hours with an announcement that this was the protesters’ “final warning” to abandon their demonstrations outright.
The protests show no signs of letting up, despite multiple days of escalating police violence against them. The death toll has now risen to five, with thousands of people injured in the crackdowns.
“We have arrived at the end of our patience,” Erdogan told party leaders in the capital city of Ankara, and angrily lashed the EU for criticizing police violence against demonstrators by declaring “who do you think you are by taking such a decision?”
Police has repeatedly demolished barricades set up in Taksim Square and the nearby park, and have fired so much tear gas around the area that there seems to be a more or less permanent cloud in central Istanbul, traveling with the prevailing wind. Braving rubber bullets and stun grenades, the protesters have simply donned gas masks and continued on.
Yes that is his last warning to freedom of the Turkish people before his going to send in his savage bulldogs killing people.
Where did the supply of gas masks come from? The local 7-11? This "revolution" has all the earmarks being sustained by foreign money. Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman, a former bar bouncer and convicted felon [he beat a 12 year old jewish boy to the point where hospitalization was required], threatened this when Turkey allowed a ship bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza to set sail. Yes, there are local grievances, but follow the money. Cui bono?
Who is paying for this? There are other candidates in addition to the obvious, someone who threatened to do it.
nO DOUBT AMERIKA IS BEHIND THIS ALSO
I'm a veteran of many US antiwar, anti-world bank protests, and everyone knows to bring some sort of gasmask/goggles, ets for when the police start lobbing tear gas. To use the simple fact that everyone knows a gasmask comes in handy at a protest as the sign of some sign of conspiracy is just silly.
Riot Police, Tear Gas clouds, a leader making threats against citizens, dead bodies, thousands injured. All the signs that say "American Democracy Was Here."