Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Turkish Protesters Demand Police Chief Sackings; Unions Join Protesters, Call on Erdogan to Resign

Turkish demonstrators demanded the sacking of police chiefs today (June 5, 2013) over a fierce crackdown on days of unprecedented protest against what they see as Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan's authoritarian rule, according to the Reuters website.

A delegation of activists met Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc at his office in Ankara and demanded the release of detained demonstrators, a halt to police use of tear gas, and the removal of senior officers who oversaw the crackdown.

Arinc -- formally in charge of the Turkish government while Erdogan is on an official visit to North Africa -- has apologized for "excessive violence" by police against the initial protest in Istanbul's Taksim Square.

Two people have been killed and more than 3,000 injured in the six days of unrest, dealing a blow to the prime minister's image at home and abroad. Erdogan has inflamed the situation by describing the protesters as looters and terrorists. Members of more than a dozen labor unions -- banging drums, trailing banners, and chanting "Tayip Resign" -- today marched into Taksim Square, where the demonstrators have been mostly peaceful during the past few days, after riot police withdrew.

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