Turkey
Turkish police officers, in riot gear, and wearing face masks scuffle with protesters during a demonstration in Istanbul. Photo: Omer Kuscu/AP
ISTANBUL (AP) — Police in Istanbul have dispersed demonstrators who gathered in the Turkish city to denounce police violence and to stand in solidarity with protesters in the United States. At least 29 demonstrators were detained, Turkey's state-run agency reported.
iot police broke up the demonstration in Istanbul's Kadikoy district late Tuesday after the group of about 50 activists ignored calls to disperse, Anadolu Agency reported.
Some of the anti-police violence activists were seen carrying a poster of George Floyd, who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyd's neck while the handcuffed black man called out that he couldn't breathe.
Floyd's death on May 25 sparked protests that spread across the U.S. and beyond.
Turkish authorities frequently impose bans on public demonstrations or gatherings on security grounds. Human rights groups often accuse police of using disproportionate force to break up demonstrations.
On Monday. Turkish police had dispersed a demonstration by a group wanting to commemorate an activist who was killed during nationwide anti-government protests seven years ago, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. At least 21 people were detained.
The group gathered near a park in central Ankara where 26-year-old Ethem Sarisuluk was injured in the head by a gunshot on June 1, 2013. He died in hospital 14 days later. A police officer was later convicted over his death.
Millions of people across Turkey took to the streets in May and June 2013 to denounce President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian leadership. Centered in Istanbul's Gezi Park, the protests were sparked by opposition to government plans to redevelop the park adjacent to Istanbul’s main Taksim Square.
Sarisuluk was among a dozen protesters who were killed. Thousands of others were injured.
Erdogan has described the protests as a “coup” attempt against his government.
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