Thousands in anti-corruption protests; Erdoğan defiant


Date posted: December 23, 2013

 

REUTERS, ANKARA   

 
Thousands took to the streets of İstanbul on Sunday to protest against the government over a corruption scandal that has led to multiple arrests, including sons of two ministers and general manager of the state-run Halkbank.

Twenty-four people, including the sons of two ministers and the head of state-owned Halkbank, have been formally charged in connection with the corruption inquiry that Erdoğan has called a “dirty operation” to undermine his rule.

In response, Erdoğan has sacked or moved to different posts about 70 police officers, including the powerful head of İstanbul’s force, in a widening crackdown on the force that launched the investigation.

Erdoğan drew thousands of cheering supporters when he toured the north of the country on Sunday.

But in İstanbul, anti-government demonstrators flooded into Kadikoy Square, where a protest against government urbanisation plans had been scheduled to take place, before they were largely dispersed by police firing teargas and water cannon.

“Everywhere is (Erdoğan’s) AK Party, everywhere is corruption,” they chanted, a reference to the slogan of summer anti-government protests that centred on İstanbul’s Taksim Square, “Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance”.

As in the case of the summer protests, the fiercest since he came to power in 2002, Erdoğan has pointed to foreign hands in the crisis.

“They are setting wicked and dark traps in our country, using their local pawns to disrupt Turkey’s unity and integrity,” Erdoğan said in the Black Sea city of Giresun on Sunday.

The Economy Minister and Interior Minister, whose sons were among the 16 arrested on Saturday, echoed Erdoğan on Sunday, saying via Twitter and the media that the allegations were part of ‘big trap’.

“Drity hands”

Witnesses estimated the crowd in Kadikoy Square grew to as much as 10,000 at one point.

“This gang of thieves cannot be ruling this country. The government should resign and all the dirty hands must be tried,” said Pelin Demirci, 26, who carried a banner that read “AKP get your dirty hands off our pockets.”

The prime minister has said the crackdown on people behind the corruption investigation would continue.

“Those who cast slurs on my ministers to reach their dirty goals, you should know that this nation will spoil the game. We will break those hands if they are trying to set traps in this country,” Erdoğan said on Sunday.

Those who attended Sunday’s protest in İstanbul appeared more concerned with the issue of corruption than the Gulen-Erdoğan split.

“The people are not interested in the power struggle between Erdoğan and Hizmet. The most important thing is to catch the thieves and put them in front of justice,” said Kadir Çekiç, 26, an engineer who works in the auto industry.

“I believe neither of them are innocent anyway, but for AK Party’s electorate to wake up and see some of the realities, these operations are very helpful.”

Source: Today's Zaman , December 23, 2013


Related News

Turkey pays a price for purging counterterror professionals

In the wake of the abortive July 15 coup, he purged thousands of experienced counter-terror police and rotated others out of areas they know best. In effect, this means the Turkish security and police are operating blind. It can take years to gain the experience in any particular locality that those whom Erdogan fired had.

Minister says ‘parallel state’ claims not realistic, cites lack of evidence

Customs and Trade Minister Hayati Yazıcı told reporters on Saturday in the Black Sea town of Rize that there is a lack of evidence to substantiate claims of a “parallel state,” recalling the government’s motto of “one state, one flag, one homeland, one nation.”

Gülen’s lawyers slam Erdoğan’s ‘slanderous’ unsolved murders remarks

The lawyers of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen have denounced recent statements by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in which he held the Hizmet movement responsible for some unsolved murders in Turkey.

Fethullah Gulen and Gulen Movement Discussed at German Symposium

The Intercultural Dialog Association in Cologne organized a symposium titled “Fethullah Gulen who Encourages the Dialog Studies”. At a weekend in Cologne, many academics, members of the parliament, representatives of some NGO’s, Turks and Germans attended the symposium.

(Not a joke) Turkish governor: ISIL terrorist detonated himself in construction site not to harm neighbors

Following the detonation of an Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist in Turkey’s Gaziantep province on Sunday, the governor told reporters that the suicide bomber detonated himself in a construction site in order not to cause problems for the neighbors.

Gulen’s new book: “Muslims’ Responsibility in Countering Violence”

The extracts in this booklet have been selected according to the current volume’s theme from among Gülen’s books already published in Turkish. Some of them have been translated into English before but most of the extracts have been translated into English and arranged into different chapters in the present volume. Some of the texts are revised and altered by Fethullah Gülen himself.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Turkish consulate in Rotterdam seized passports of Gulen-supporters

Fate of Pak-Turk Schools: Erdogan, Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Maa’rif Foundation?

Stay course in Gulen case

Bosnian Court Lifts Movement Restrictions on Turkish Citizen

Who speaks for Islam in Turkey?

Turkish citizens in Arkansas face uncertain futures

Twitter user apologizes for Gülen ‘traitor’ insult, blames politicians

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News