6/21/2023 0 Comments Ali İsmail by İsmail Saymaz![]() ![]() ![]() They are again prepared to "write history." Those were the words of the then-governor of Istanbul province, Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, used to express his thanks to the police for putting down the protests. Taksim Square and its access roads are flooded with police, both in uniform and plainclothes. Sunday marks the second anniversary of the start of the large-scale police attack on young environmental and peace activists residing in tents, and citizens of any age, in Gezi Park. Erdogan's rampant building activity was reined in, at least in this particular case. ![]() Then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, now Turkish president, underestimated the "spirit of Gezi," which refused allegiance to him. Protests spilled over into other major Turkish cities, where police forces - backed by supporters of the religious-conservative government party Party for Justice and Development (AKP) - also cracked down on demonstrators. ![]() At the time, images of the heavy clashes between protesters and police forces, whose violent response was out of proportion, went around the world. A high price was paid two years ago to make sure it remained that way: eight people lost their lives, hundreds were injured, some of them seriously. For the time being, Gezi Park, located in central Istanbul's Taksim Square, is safe from destruction. ![]()
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