Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on his supporters of to stage demonstrations in response to several weeks of protests held by critics of both Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The demonstrations began in late May after the announcement of redevelopment plans in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, and have grown both in size and scope. Thousands of protestors have been injured in the past ten days as security officers responded to the unrest. The U.S. and E.U. have expressed concern over what diplomats described as an “excessive use of force.” Dozens of critics have been arrested for criticizing the Erdogan government via social media outlets.
Erdogan is now calling on AKP supporters to march in the streets in their own demonstrations:
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, facing the biggest protests of his tenure, called on his supporters to prepare for pro-government rallies next weekend in Istanbul and Ankara, as riot police fired tear gas and water cannon to clear protesters from an Ankara square.
“On Saturday, are you ready for a big Ankara meeting? … The next day we will have the Istanbul meeting,” Erdogan said to cheering crowds in Ankara, as riot police moved in against protesters just a few kilometers away.
The declaration seems unlikely to deescalate the situation.
The Erdogan government has angered broad swaths of the Turkish public by forcing through legislation centralizing power, eroding civil liberties, and promoting Islamist norms. A recent law tightening restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol has proven particularly controversial.