Turkey Riots Spread As Police Retreat From Istanbul’s Taksim Square

Istanbul, Turkey — Riots in Istanbul have spread after Turkish police retreated from the city’s Taksim Square on Saturday afternoon, after almost two days of fighting.

A peaceful sit-in in the park on Friday turned violent when the government attempted a police crackdown. The confrontation sparked the biggest anti-government riots the city has seen in 10 years.

While the clashes in Turkey’s capital subsided with the police withdrawal, the protesters thew rocks at police vehicles as they left the area. At least 79 people were injured in the clashes, which saw police using tear gas, water cannons, and pepper spray against protesters.

The sit-in was arranged as a peaceful protest against the government’s plans to demolish the park and make way for a shopping mall. Turkish activists have likened the plans to the US government tearing down Central Park in New York City.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on Saturday, demanding an end to the riots in Turkey, which have spread from Istanbul to Ankara and Izmir. He stated:

“The police were there yesterday, they are there today, and they will be there tomorrow. Taksim Square cannot be allowed to be a place where marginal groups can freely roam.”

Among the 79 injured were 26 members of the Turkish security forces, according to Interior Minister Muammer Guler. Turkish authorities have also arrested almost a thousand people in connection with the Turkey riots. Some protesters in Ankara chanted “Tayyip resign,” as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them.

But despite the attempts to halt the riots, they have only grown, causing some to wonder if the Taksim Square redevelopment plans will turn into a “Turkish Spring” uprising like the Arab Spring that ousted governments in Egypt, Libya, and elsewhere in the region. One protester revealed, “It started with us defending the last bit of green space we have left. We have been gassed, we have been clubbed, and we have been hospitalized.”

Protesters have also made their way toward the prime minister’s office in Besiktas. They reportedly hijacked a truck from the municipality and have been using it as a barricade against police, who are using tear gas to keep protesters at a distance.

While the catalyst was the police response to the Taksim Square sit-in, the riots in Turkey likely stem from the government’s actions in recent years.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]