Vol. 77/No. 25      July 1, 2013

BY SUSAN LAMONT

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered riot police in Istanbul to clear anti-government demonstrations from Taksim Gezi Park during the night of June 15. In the days that followed, police detained dozens across the country, many of whom were taken from their homes.

Using water cannons and tear gas, police fought groups of protesters through the night June 15. Military police were called in to prevent demonstrators from regrouping and others from reaching Taksim Square.

The current wave of protests began in Istanbul May 31, when police attacked an occupation of Taksim Gezi Park by young people opposed to a government redevelopment project that would replace the park. The protests then swelled, drawing in an array of groups and individuals, mainly students and middle-class professionals, but also workers and unionists. Demands included an end to government repression, more democratic rights, protections for national and religious minorities and women, and more rights for workers and unions.

Hundreds were arrested over the June 15-16 weekend. Since the protests began, at least four people have been killed. The Turkish Medical Association reports almost 7,500 people have been wounded.

The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DISK), Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK), the Turkish Doctors’ Union, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, and the Turkish Dentists Union issued a call for nationwide demonstrations and a strike June 17 to protest government repression.

“We walked to Taksim Square, but were turned back by police,” said Samil Altan, 62, in a June 19 phone interview from Istanbul. Altan is a leader of the recently formed People’s Democratic Party, which he described as a coalition of democratic and socialist groups, some pro-Kurdish, that fields candidates in elections.

Altan estimated 4,000 or more union members took part. “Groups of unionists gathered in different locations, but we were blocked by police from moving,” he said. “There is a curfew in the city. Things are difficult, and we will have to discuss and decide what are the next steps.”

About 10 percent of workers in Turkey are unionized, Altan said, and government laws make it difficult for unions to win recognition.

“There is an attempt to bring people to the streets through strikes and work stoppages. These will not be allowed,” said Interior Minister Muammer Guler, according to Reuters. Guler threatened serious consequences for public workers participating in the strikes.

The strike slowed transportation, halted construction and shut banks, according to UPI news service.

Demonstrations by trade unionists also took place in Ankara, Eskisehir and other cities June 17 and were blocked by police.

Erdogan, after denouncing the protesters as “riff-raff,” announced June 14 that he would wait for the outcome of a court case appealing the government plan to demolish Gezi Park. Even if the court upholds the plan, he said, he would put it to a plebiscite vote in Istanbul. He also met with several representatives of the protesters.

Erdogan and his ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party staged mass rallies in Ankara and Istanbul June 15, called “Respect for the National Will.” The rallies, which drew hundreds of thousands, were aimed at isolating the protesters and reinforcing Erdogan’s claims that his regime and the measures he has taken on behalf of Turkey’s capitalist rulers have overwhelming popular support.

Erdogan, prime minister since 2003, is trying to polish his government’s image — tarnished by his handling of the protests — as he leads Turkey’s ongoing bid to join the European Union. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said June 17 that she was “appalled” by the Turkish government’s response to the protesters. Germany is Turkey’s biggest trading partner, with $35 billion in bilateral trade.  
 
 
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