Date: 2014/10/08 - 10:24
Demonstrations have turned violent across Turkey as President Erdogan refuses to come to the aid of besieged Kurdish town Kobani.
Twelve people have been reported dead and many others injured in protests across Turkey against government inaction against Islamic State (IS).
Violence escalated on Tuesday night as police used water cannons and tear gas against protesters in the eastern provinces, as well as Istanbul, where 100 people were detained according to the Istanbul Governorship and the capital city Ankara. A curfew has been imposed in five provinces.
In response to the intensifying unrest, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala hit out at the pro-Kurdish protesters, accusing them of “betraying their own country” and warning that they would face “unpredictable” consequences if they do not disperse. “Violence is not the solution. Violence triggers reprisals. This irrational attitude should come to an end immediately,” Ala said.
Thousands have taken to the streets across the country to demand that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ceases his inaction against the extremist militant group Islamic State, which has besieged the Kurdish town of Kobani, just across the Turkish border in Syria.
At least 400 Kurds have been killed in the three-week Kobani conflict, with reportedly 200,000 civilians forced to take refuge across the border in Turkey.
During a visit to a camp for Syrian refugees, Erdogan explained his apparent ambivalence: "The problem of ISIS (Islamic State) ... cannot be solved via air bombardment. Right now ... Kobani is about to fall.”
Analysts say Turkey's inaction appears linked to fears that it could boost the Kurdish independence movement, by militarily strengthening Kurdish fighters in Kobani. Turkey has fought a decades long war internal war against its own Kurds. In addition, President Erdogan has explicitly linked action against I.S to the removal of Syrian President Assad with reports suggesting that, while Turkey sees I.S. as a threat, it is uneasy about acting in any way that strengthens Assad.
Across Europe, discontent with the Turkish response to IS has resulted in numerous protests and occupations involving thousands of protesters. On Tuesday night, over 100 demonstrators broke into the European Parliament in Brussels, waving banners and shouting anti-IS slogans. In London, a peaceful protest in Heathrow Airport is still under way.
A further sit-in was peacefully dispersed on Monday night in the Dutch parliament in The Hague.
Twelve people have been reported dead and many others injured in protests across Turkey against government inaction against Islamic State (IS).
Violence escalated on Tuesday night as police used water cannons and tear gas against protesters in the eastern provinces, as well as Istanbul, where 100 people were detained according to the Istanbul Governorship and the capital city Ankara. A curfew has been imposed in five provinces.
In response to the intensifying unrest, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala hit out at the pro-Kurdish protesters, accusing them of “betraying their own country” and warning that they would face “unpredictable” consequences if they do not disperse. “Violence is not the solution. Violence triggers reprisals. This irrational attitude should come to an end immediately,” Ala said.
Thousands have taken to the streets across the country to demand that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ceases his inaction against the extremist militant group Islamic State, which has besieged the Kurdish town of Kobani, just across the Turkish border in Syria.
At least 400 Kurds have been killed in the three-week Kobani conflict, with reportedly 200,000 civilians forced to take refuge across the border in Turkey.
During a visit to a camp for Syrian refugees, Erdogan explained his apparent ambivalence: "The problem of ISIS (Islamic State) ... cannot be solved via air bombardment. Right now ... Kobani is about to fall.”
Analysts say Turkey's inaction appears linked to fears that it could boost the Kurdish independence movement, by militarily strengthening Kurdish fighters in Kobani. Turkey has fought a decades long war internal war against its own Kurds. In addition, President Erdogan has explicitly linked action against I.S to the removal of Syrian President Assad with reports suggesting that, while Turkey sees I.S. as a threat, it is uneasy about acting in any way that strengthens Assad.
Across Europe, discontent with the Turkish response to IS has resulted in numerous protests and occupations involving thousands of protesters. On Tuesday night, over 100 demonstrators broke into the European Parliament in Brussels, waving banners and shouting anti-IS slogans. In London, a peaceful protest in Heathrow Airport is still under way.
A further sit-in was peacefully dispersed on Monday night in the Dutch parliament in The Hague.
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