Erdogan Still Doesn’t Get It
Erdogan met with members of the Solidarity Group yesterday. Apparently it didn’t go well.
On Facebook this morning by OccupyGezi:
Media claims that PM Erdogan has raged at the previous night’s meeting with the representatives and left the meeting suddenly without even handshakes. They wrote that PM Erdogan was mad at Arzu Cerkezoglu, the General Secretary of Confederation of Progressive Trade Union, about her comment. Cerkezoglu says she told the PM Erdogan “Sir, if we were making this meeting on 25th of May, we could have been talking about the architectural and environmental issues. But it has been weeks now, people are on the streets, 4 of them dead. It has been 17 days, mothers are on the streets. If we are here for the solution, we must talk about the truth. Those people are telling you something on the streets from day to night. Don’t you think that we have to talk about these issues? This is not an architectural issue, it’s a sociologic issue.”
Arzu Cerkezoglu says in the paper “The PM, who has been continuously interrupting my speech, gave a harsh response when I say this is a sociologic issue. He raised his voice and said `Who are you to teach us sociology? We know sociology and psychology. How do you dare saying those to us?`”
http://haber.gazetevatan.com/uzun-gecede-gergin-anlar/546123/1/gundem
Some protestors say they are not represented by any group political or otherwise. And a tweeter on the ground says they will occupy one symbolic tent in the park while the others will leave. We will see what happens.
Meanwhile Erdogan is planning on counter-rallies in several cities in a show of support for himself. Tens of thousands are expected to show up. PM Erdogan speaking at the rally: “Our people has sense that this is a trap, a threat! We extend our hand but they extend their fists. How can we handshake?”
Hakan Aygun, a journalist, claims that all the personnel from municipalities and ministries has been obliged to come to the rally and brought there with official vehicles.
The Al-Monitor Pulse said: It is not realistic to expect the Gezi Park protesters and their representatives to be satisfied with the “possibility of a referendum.” The Taksim Platform, consisting of some 80 leading non-governmental organizations orchestrating the resistance, announced it would not agree to a referendum and that it had no intention of evacuating the park.
Erdogan: Tomorrow we hold an Istanbul rally. Let me make this clear. If Taksim is not emptied, police forces will empty it.” #occupygezi
Divide and conquer.
Tags: Istanbul, Turkey
Zoe
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