Istanbul and Izmir under Clouds of Tear Gas

The series of protest against the extensive use of tear gas and water cannons during demonstrations critical of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Hopa (eastern Black Sea coast) is continuing. After demonstrations in Ankara on Tuesday evening (31May), people also took the streets in Istanbul and Izmir on Wednesday and Thursday.

In Izmir, members of the Turkish Communist Party (TKP), the Community Centres organization, the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP), the Socialist Democracy Party (SDP) and the Confederation of Trade Unions of Public Employees (KESK) gathered on Wednesday evening (1 June) to protest against the police and the "AKP terror" in Hopa that left one person dead.

The demonstrators marched to the Izmir Provincial Building of the AKP where they made a press release.

When members of the Community Centres organization started throwing eggs at the AKP building, the police massively intervened against the protestors. Riot forces teams made extensive use of tear gas and water cannons.

49-year-old retired worker and TKP member Turgut Eraslan suffered a heart attack as a result of having been exposed to the dense clouds of tear gas. TKP officials told bianet on Thursday that Eraslan was still in intensive care.

Deaths caused by gas bombs

Retired teacher Metin Lokumcu who died after the massive use of tear gas in Hopa was the fourth activist who lost his life as a result of a heart attack caused by tear gas. Officials spoke of a coincidence after the first such case had happened in 2007. However, the number of this sort of "coincidences" is rising.

75-year-old İbrahim Sevindik died in the course of 1 May demonstrations in 2007. Shop owner İshak Kalvo lost his life during clashes related to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Istanbul in 2009. 60-year-old Kazım Şeker died of a heart attack after a police intervention in Bismil (south-east) in 2010. All three cases were supposed to be related to the exposure of tear gas.

Protests in Istanbul

In Istanbul, about 500 people gathered in the central district of Mecidiyeköy on Thursday (2 June) to voice their protest against the incidents in Hopa. The meeting was organized by the Istanbul Medical Chamber (ITO), the Confederation of Trade Unions of Public Employees (KESK), Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) and the Turkey Union of Chambers of Architects and Engineers (TMMOB).

"We will not keep silent, we will resist"

As reported by the website sendika.org ('union.org'), the protestors walked to the AKP office in the neighbouring district of Şişli shouting slogans such as "Hopa is everywhere, resistance is everywhere", "The police of the AKP are the murderer of a teacher" and "Revolution is the only way". The march of Dev-Genç, (the Federation of the Revolutionary Turkish Youth) was chanted during the demonstration.

In a press release in front of the AKP office in Şişli the protestors declared, "We publicly announce that we will continue the necessary struggle for the just punishment of the people who are responsible for this murder [of Lokumcu] and the attacks in its background".

"Our resistance against murders, phoney courts, arbitrary police custody and arrests and against the fascist attitude of the AKP government that deems itself democratic will not lessen. To the contrary, our urge and determination for the struggle is increasing. We will not yield to persecution, we will not keep silent, we will resist".

"Gas does not intimidate, it kills"

ITO Secretary General Ali Çerkezoğlu said on behalf of the chamber that the use of tear gas had fatal consequences.

Çerkezoğlu warned the government not to use this deadly weapon. He said that it could be seen that gas bombs killed people but that it also became evident that this was not enough to intimidate the opposition.

Eğitim-Sen executive in hospital

The police intervened against the demonstrators in Istanbul when they threw eggs to the AKP building. Tear gas and water cannons were used to disperse the crowd. Protestors were beaten and taken into police custody.

Barış Demirci, branch manager of the Education and Science Workers' Union (Eğitim-Sen) was apparently hit in his face by a gas bomb and taken to hospital. (HK/EKN/VK)