Turkish PM Issues 'Final Warning' To Protesters To End Park Sit-In, Rejects EU Critics

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's prime minister issued a "final warning" to protesters on Thursday, demanding that they end their occupation of a park next to Istanbul's landmark Taksim Square.

Sticking to his trademark defiant tone, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also rejected condemnation by the European Parliament over the excessive use of force by Turkish riot police against demonstrators.

The comments show that Erdogan appears determined to end two weeks of widespread protests that have trained an unflattering spotlight on his Islamic-rooted government and have morphed into the biggest street unrest of his 10-year tenure.

"We have arrived at the end of our patience," Erdogan told local party leaders in Ankara, the capital.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/world/211341931.html

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. He just blew his chance of getting into the EU.

He sure picked a lousy moment to become authoritarian. Idiot.

Or maybe he already was that, and this moment just brought it to the forefront.

[Drale]

2. So there's already a civil war going on in Syria,

is the Turkish government going to do something stupid like order the crowd shot and start in Civil War in Turkey as well?

[clarice]

3. What a hell hole. nt

[Bosonic]

4. Closing down TV coverage too...

Last edited Thu Jun 13, 2013, 03:31 PM - Edit history (1)

turkish broadcasting regulatory body rtuk is closing down hayattv as the channel broadcasted the gezi park events live for the last 2 weeks.

https://twitter.com/esraarsan/status/345229186681671680

#occupygezi Government is banning Hayat TV's broadcasts because of their journalistic efforts in Gezi Park protests http://www.hayattv.net

https://twitter.com/lostalista/status/345223942228803584

An open letter from the Turkish Hayat TV, to be closed down because it broadcasted Taksim

Hayat TV to close down

Hayat TV, a progressive Turkish TV channel of the working people, the youth, women and the intellectuals is facing closure.

We believe this is a blow to people’s freedom of information.

The decision for the closure is made by the broadcasting regulator RTÜK, Radio & Television High Commission with the pretext that Hayat TV has no licence.

This is not true.

Hayat TV has been broadcasting since 21 March 2007 by ofcom license via TURKSAT satellite. But a recent change in broadcasting rules via TURKSAT requires broadcasters to obtain a RTÜK license to be able to broadcast via satellite.

Our application for a RTÜK license has been submitted and pending for a decision. We have taken all the necessary steps and RTÜK agreed that we could carry on broadcasting as it is until a RTÜK license is granted.

However, RTÜK is now making an arbitrary decision to close down our channel because of, we believe, our broadcast of recent protests in Istanbul and across Turkey.

RTÜK says they investigated “the complaints received for our coverage of the Gezi Park protests” and made a decision for the closure.

We believe this closure is part of the overall repression on the media in Turkey during the more than two-week-long Gezi Park protests. Four other TV channels have been given a fine by RTUK because of their coverage of the recent events.

RTUK sent a letter to TURKSAT to put an end to Hayat TV broadcast at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, 14th June 2013.

We believe this arbitrary and unlawful decision should be reversed.

We call on all democratically minded people to show solidarity with Hayat TV.

http://blogs.euobserver.com/debeuf/#.UboSNG3i_Ps.twitter

[Fire Walk With Me]

5. Protesters have DIED from attacks by his goons. He must crave more.

And he must step down (or worse, depends upon his actions against the people of his country).

FUCKER.



Earth First! Journal ‏@efjournal

GRAPHIC: Video: Tank Runs Over Protesters in Ankara, Capital of Turkey

[Bosonic]

6. Turkey protesters reject 'last warning' to evacuate

ISTANBUL (AFP) — Protesters on Thursday rejected Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "last warning" to evacuate an Istanbul park at the centre of mass anti-government demos, setting the stage for a showdown in a deadly conflict that has rocked the country.

Representatives for the thousands camping out in Gezi Park said they rejected Erdogan's offer to leave the park in return for a referendum on its planned redevelopment, after the fight to save the site snowballed into the biggest challenge to the Islamic-rooted government's decade-long rule.

"We will stay in Gezi Park with all our demands and sleeping bags," Taksim Solidarity, the core group behind the campaign, said in a statement.

Demonstrators have been camping out in the park since May 31, when police brutally responded to a campaign to save the site's 600 trees from being chopped. The crackdown sparked an outpouring of anger across the country at Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), seen as increasingly authoritarian.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jYQKOpQhnTxZ7j_ovQpSq1m3c9pA?docId=CNG.f3cb848c4cc24c812915350900d10705.571