Taksim Square, the symbolic heart of Istanbul, was engulfed in black fumes and white clouds Tuesday as riot police firing tear gas and water cannons moved in to regain control over an area that has been occupied by antigovernment protesters for the past two weeks. In Ankara, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the demonstrations, which began over an environmentalist sit-in to protest plans to demolish a center city park, were part of a “comprehensive attack” designed to harm the country. Erdogan insisted that he would move ahead with plans to redevelop the park, an issue that has become a symbol for what protesters say is his arrogant leadership. The standoff is the worst turmoil Turkey has seen in a decade of Erdogan’s rule, and the protests show no sign of abating. ”There is a big game that is being played on Turkey in the guise of Taksim Gezi Park,” Erdogan said on Tuesday to a gathering of members of parliament from his party, the AKP. “They package it in trees and environmental sensitivity, but really there are those who want to slow a growing, strong Turkey.” Though he styled himself as a champion of democracy during the Arab Spring protests in Egypt and Tunisia, this is the first time Erdogan has faced mass protests at home. (MORE: Erdo-gone? After Taksim, Turkish Leader’s Political Future May Hang in the Balance) The unrest began over a peaceful sit-in demonstration on May 28 against the government’s plans to raze Gezi Park, just off Taksim Square, and replace it with a faux-Ottoman-style commercial development and barracks. Police attacked the activists, burning their tents and tear-gassing them, while bulldozers began uprooting trees. As images of the violence went viral, frustration with the government’s increasingly heavy-handed politics hit a boiling point and tens of thousands of people took to the streets on May 31 to protest. Police responded with more tear gas. Hours later, defiant demonstrators seized Gezi Park and the square surrounding it. Protests then spread to dozens of other cities. Erdogan, who was elected for a third time as![]()
