Riots in Turkey

I like how the police shoot gas canisters, and the protestors kick them right back. They seem to be trying to move the barricade, and the police are trying to take it down.

What is this now? Zimmerman trial jury selection? A few minutes ago it was some kind of Wall Street closing bell....
 
Last edited:
afp000542364-OZ_lhm9o3N_zpse7a310e9.jpg


Taksim today. Now that's a lot of tear gas. Anyone who has experienced tear gas knows how horrible it has to be to be in the middle of that, with no easy way to get clear of it.
 
I have experienced a bit of gas residue in the streets and would not like to be there without a good face mask.

I am concerned where this is headed. The PM is taking the hard line. On Friday there are supposed to be a government sponsored and organised government support rally.
 
Sideroxylon said:
I have experienced a bit of gas residue in the streets and would not like to be there without a good face mask.

I am concerned where this is headed. The PM is taking the hard line. On Friday there are supposed to be a government sponsored and organised government support rally.
Click to expand...

I got a good whiff of tear gas in U.S. Army Basic Training. During CBW equipment training,at the very end in the room full of tear gas where you go in after donning your CBW gear, your are ordered take off your gas mask and get a whiff of gas before leaving the room.Not fun. This is meant to drive home the importance of properly putting on your CBW stuff. It does.
They seem to have gone crazy with the stuff in that photo. I thought the idea was to use tear gas to disperse a crowd,which means you want to leave an exit.
 
Last edited:
dudalb said:
They seem to have gone crazy with the stuff in that photo. I thought the idea was to use tear gas to disperse a crowd,which means you want to leave an exit.
Click to expand...

The wind seems to be pushing the smoke a variety of directions - it must be one of those days when it shifts directions constantly. I wonder if they meant to leave an exit route but were defeated by unpredictable air movement.

That, or they are over-aggressive and angry, perhaps they are just jerks.
 
crescent said:
The wind seems to be pushing the smoke a variety of directions - it must be one of those days when it shifts directions constantly. I wonder if they meant to leave an exit route but were defeated by unpredictable air movement.

That, or they are over-aggressive and angry, perhaps they are just jerks.
Click to expand...

Or not very well trained in how to use Tear Gas to break up crowds.
 
Orphia Nay said:
Is this what it is claimed to be? (Chemicals being put into water cannons?)

https://twitter.com/glyroxy/status/346045279415447552/photo/1

More here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/world/europe/protesters-in-turkey.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Click to expand...

Would not surprise.

The government's move to hold off redevelopment of the park in Istanbul until a court decision and referendum was a good move. It was boneheaded to immediately break up the crowds in Istanbul. It has given this thing renewed impetus. It was always going to have that affect. Pure bloody-mindedness.

It's rather noisy downtown right now. Lots of chanting and whistling from a small trade union group that just marched past to join a larger crowd that I can't see but can hear. I expect the cops and water cannons will be there. I hope they let them do their thing.
 
Orphia Nay said:
Are they now protesting the response to the protests, rather than the park itself?
Click to expand...

As was the case in the beginning, the park and the police response to it was a trigger. They continue because of a general perception of an authoritarian government and leader. Turning on the water cannons and firing gas at the protestors is petrol on the fire.

The police have just been using gas to disperse the crowd in the main square of Ankara one block away. A big crowd just came by to escape it and we have had to close the windows.

There are the loud pops of the gas launchers going off now.
 
Last edited:
And I just saw a gas canister stream past the window.

I have a box seat here now. Squads of riot police running through the streets fire off canisters.
 
Last edited:
A busy day of chapullingWP here in the capital. Protestors gather and chant slogans. Police start firing gas and the crowds disperse followed in hot pursuit down the city streets with squads firing gas. There is a lull and it starts all over again. Wish I'd bought my camera today.

I have not seen protestors retaliating, just running among with members of the general public caught up in it.
 
do you think this is likely to morph into something bigger? Ive started seeing Turkish Spring type opinion pieces around in the last few days,
 
I don't know. I hope not but while the police continue to go after the protestors with gas and water cannon, there is always a danger that the situation could escalate. Say just one person brings a gun along and uses it against the police. What do the police do next?

If I was the PM I would drop the hard line rhetoric and not be sending the police in against the protestors like this. Today's reaction to him doing that yesterday seems so predictable to me.

I saw the water cannons in use today. Wish had brought my camera along. They water was a red colour which switched in and out as if being fed from a secondary tank. I am not sure what its purpose was. It didn't seem to be dying clothes or skin.
 
Sideroxylon said:
I saw the water cannons in use today. Wish had brought my camera along. They water was a red colour which switched in and out as if being fed from a secondary tank. I am not sure what its purpose was. It didn't seem to be dying clothes or skin.
Click to expand...

It's likely a feature to give a visual cue to the operator to change tanks.
 
Erdogan is speaking at his supporters rally and Halk TV is showing that now infamous Penguin documentary the controlled media showed instead of documenting the initial protests. But at least they have a little in-frame video for Erdogan... :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom