'PM who takes things personally’: Erdogan returns to Turkey amid riots
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is returning to a nation besieged by protests, where he faces a list of demands from demonstrators. Erdogan’s personality – described as authoritarian, assertive and self-centered – has also come under scrutiny.
As the protests enter their
seventh day, casualties have risen, with three people dead and
more than 4,000 injured. What began as an environmental protest
against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park in Istanbul to build a
mall has turned into Turkey’s biggest wave of anti-government
protest in years.
“There is a problem called Twitter right now and you can find
every kind of lie there. The thing that is called social media is
the biggest trouble for society right now,” Erdogan said
before leaving for North Africa. The Turkish prime minister also
slammed the protests as undemocratic, and dismissed them as being
organized by extremists.
In their list of demands issued to Erdogan, activists are calling
for the firing of the chiefs responsible for the violent police
crackdown, the release of protesters detained by police, and for
a ban on the use of teargas. If these demands are fulfilled,
protesters said they would end the riots.
The period of time after Erdogan returns Thursday from his
three-day tour of North Africa is vital for Turkey, as public
pressure may force the prime minister to reverse several of his
own policies.
So far, Erdogan has only singled out scapegoats in the unrest,
RT’s Irina Galushko reported from Istanbul.
He assailed the social networks used by demonstrators to organize
protests and post updates; many demonstrators turned to Twitter
and Facebook as a mobilization tool, as local media were largely
silent during the initial stages of the protests.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, who is formally in
charge while Erdogan is abroad, apologized on Tuesday for the
police brutality against demonstrators. Turkish police have been
roundly criticized for their widespread use of teargas and water
cannons to disperse crowds of protesters.
Erdogan has been described as a man who rarely bows to
opposition, and cannot handle criticism.
“He completely dislikes opposition to his ideas. He takes it
as a personal offense. He’s used to having agreement from the
country after having gained 50 percent of the votes. This time he
didn’t assume the protest would be so big”, columnist and TV
host Mutlu Tonbekci told RT.
Journalists Cengiz Candar told Reuters that “Erdogan takes
things very personally and has developed a very authoritarian
style.”
“Everybody here was being gassed, and people here were trying
to resist and trying to keep this park, and he was telling that
we are looters and there’s no project going on, and then he
changed his mind, saying there’s of course a project and I will
do what I want to do,” activist Nazan Ustundag said to
RT.
“Our intelligence work is ongoing [to determine the foreign
actors behind the protests],” Erdogan said on Monday.
“It’s not possible to reveal their names. But we will have
meetings with their bosses.”
Conservative Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak reported that foreign
mercenaries were among the protesters, according to authorities:
“750 to 1,000 people, agents, many of whom are foreign
nationals, infiltrated the ranks of the demonstrators, and who
are being paid by foreign intelligence.”
As clashes continue, some
believe that Erdogan will go to great lengths to avoid
embarrassment, as any sign of weakness could break up his
party. “Erdogan cannot
backtrack now. It would mean defeat,” car dealer Ali Aydin told Reuters.
“Weakness would destroy the
party.”
The prime minister may also be ill-equipped to dealing with the
recent developments. “This is an unprecedented situation for
Erdogan. Some people in [the ruling AKP party] think that his
policies have to soften, but they remain loyal to party
discipline and to Erdogan himself,” Reuters quoted a source
close to the AKP as saying.
Many protesters believe that the prime minister has lost touched
with reality, and is inflexible and unwilling to compromise.
Erdogan has alleged that hundreds of foreign agents are working
to create unrest in the country. He maintains that these agents
instigated the protests and are continuing to lurk among the
crowds, encouraging dissent and turmoil.
Authorities have arrested some 15 foreign nationals across the
country in connection with the protests, Today’s Zamaan newspaper
quoted an unnamed governmental source as saying. Many were
reportedly Iranian nationals, a country on Erdogan’s blacklist.
Despite the widespread protests, Erdogan remains a popular
politician. He is known for his assertive leadership style, and
his AK Party holds around two-thirds of the seats in parliament.
But a key question remains: How will he handle the protests that
are continuing to rock Turkey?
Erdogan is famous for his concrete human rights reforms,
including granting rights to the country’s Kurdish minority, the
opening of European Union entry talks, and a separation of the
government and military. He has lately faced criticism for
pressuring the media and for restrictions on alcohol sales.
This article originally appeared on: RT
Source: http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/pm-who-takes-things-personally-erdogan-returns-to-turkey-amid-riots/39559/
