The 11th Day in #OccupyTurkey. Erdoğan’s provocative return speech. Ongoing media censorship…

The returning PM Erdogan is unrepentant and in a petulant, combative mood. AKP trucked in supporters to meet him at at the airport. Yesterday in Tunis PM Erdogan contradicted his own administration when he insisted that the destruction of Gezi park would continue and a mall would be built on that site.  He also reiterated his plan to tear down the iconic Ataturk Cultural Center, a historic building from the early Republic where classical music, ballet, and other artistic performances were presented to the public. It has been closed for several years, ostensibly for renovation. He assured people that there would be some trees around the new ?opera house? he means to build there (a suspicious statement, since he isn?t know for his love of western-style opera).

Erdoğan demands end to Turkey protests

Assaults Escalate in Ankara

Violent assaults on protesters continue in Ankara. I received this message from Umit Sonmez at  the Facebook site ResearchTurkey:

Can online environmental activism deliver change offline? | Alexander White

Greenpeace’s Unfriend Coal campaign and the Wilderness Society’s petition to protect Victoria’s forests show ‘clicktivism’ can lead to people doing real things in the real world

An enduring criticism of almost any organisation that campaigns for change is that it is not really having an impact. This is especially the case for environment campaigns that aim to engage and mobilise large numbers of people, as the No KXL pipeline campaign experienced in February.

TURKEY’S PROTESTS ARE SIGN OF CULTURAL TENSION

WASHINGTON — There are certain clues in foreign coverage that journalists overseas look for. Some of them are serious concepts or funny quotes or just plain words, but you know them when you see them, and you know that something has changed.So it is with the simple word “alcohol,” which as good readers know is capable of evoking both the extremes of hatred and the extremes of loving indulgence

The economic consequences of #OccupyGezi

The demonstrations caught the Turkish economy at a bad time. There was almost a mini-crisis in emerging markets.

 

Thousands greet defiant Erdogan

Turkey’s prime minister again ratchets up rhetoric against protesters on his return to Istanbul

Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has delivered a fiery speech on his return to the country, telling supporters who thronged to greet him that the protests that have swept the country must end.

Gezi Park community commemorates the deceased of the Turkey protests

Memorials for the deaths of three protesters marked the 10th day of the protests in Taksim Gezi Park as the crowd chanted ‘they live.’

Erdogan’s One-Way

Two years ago, TIME had picked the headline “Erdogan’s Way.”

Today, the more suitable version is “Erdogan’s One-Way.”

The Occupy Gezi protestors communicate their messages to whole world. I’ve been called by many, many news outlets from the world, from Brazil to Australia, from Canada to Ukraine.

Press freedom groups condemn Turkish police violence against journalists

At least 14 journalists have been injured, some seriously, since the outbreak of violent protests in Turkey. The offices of media organisations have also come under attack.

The police have been accused of brutality towards media workers who have been covering the demonstrations against the development of Gezi Park on Taksim Square. Journalists report suffering from the effects of tear gas and water hoses.

‘Memo’ Okur snubs Turkish EU minister, saying he would only go to Gezi Park

The recently retired Turkish basketball player Mehmet Okur rejected an invitation from the EU minister, saying the only place that he wanted to be was Gezi Park.

Turkey’s tumultuous week does little to rattle ‘bulldozer’ Erdogan

Prime Minister Erdogan decried antigovernment protesters as ‘vagabonds’ and ‘extremists.’ Critics acknowledge his success in driving Turkey’s spectacular growth, but say he has become autocratic.

In Turkey, Protesters Proudly Call Themselves ‘Looters’

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan energized protesters when he called them “looters.” The demonstrators have embraced the term, spreading it far and wide on social media.

Turkish Leader Says Razing of Istanbul Park Will Proceed

At a news conference in Tunis, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused to yield to the demands of protesters in dozens of Turkish cities.

Turks Angry Over Dearth of Protest Coverage by Established Media

As protesters took to the streets across the nation, Turkish TV channels stuck to scheduled programming, and people turned to social media to find out what was going on.

Current level of protest in Turkey not a rating threat: Fitch

The anti-government protests in Turkey are not a threat to the sovereign?s ?BBB-? rating at present.

Alcohol, Islam and Turkey’s Founding Fathers

Restrictions on the sale of alcohol have been listed among the grievances of some secular Turks in protests against what they say are the Islamizing tendencies of the government. A look back at the Republic?s early history shows the issue is not a new one.

Don?t underestimate the ?invasion of ants,? says Islamic scholar Gülen over protests

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen called on the government to not underestimate the protests, comparing the demonstrations to an ‘invasion of ants.’

US repeats criticism on ?brutality?

The confrontation between U.S State Secretary John Kerry and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu