IHD Blames Police For Istanbul Provocation

The Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul branch has claimed that plainclothes police officers were responsible for provoking incidents during an anti-Israeli rally in the city on July 31 where police used excessive force on protestors as well as tear and pepper gas to disperse the crowds.

Charging the city police force with using arbitrary force and excessive violence, the Association called for an investigation into the incident and the Security Directorate to make a formal statement on what happened. It said the way police resolved to use force on the crowds was similar to interventions witnessed in the 1990s.

The IHD also noted that it did not approve of a group of protestors throwing stones at a Flash TV crew while they were being dispersed.

According to the Association, the events started at around 20:30 local time when a group of about 1,500-2,000 people from various civil society organizations and political parties came together at the Beyoglu Tunnel Square to protest Israel's bombing of Qana.

Marching towards Taksim square and shouting "Palestinian People Are Not Alone, Murderer Israel", the crowd was stopped by a police barricade in front of Odakule on Istiklal Avenue.

Talks between representatives of the group failed to gain access to divert the protest to the European Union Information and Documentation Centre near Taksim Gezi Park after which the demonstrators sat down on the road in protest.

The sitting protest continued until 21:25 local time with tension increasing owing to the reinforcement of the police presence with counter-terrorist forces, public safety and associations desk officers arriving on the scene in large numbers.

IHD findings show that plainclothes police officers had infiltrated the group beforehand and were hiding wooden clubs under their t-shirts, which were produced as they provoked the crowds, sparking off retaliation from officers surrounding the group. The group was then attacked with truncheons and gas bombs while scores of officers caught runaway protestors and started beating them. In one instance more than 10 officers beat a demonstrator and non of the police chiefs present intervened.

The IHD also established that while the attack and beatings continued, officers were heard to be shouting "don't hit, don't hit" only when television cameras were recording the scenes and when the police cameras were themselves running.

Young plainclothes officers were head to be directing each other as uniformed forces chased and attacked the group. IHD charged that gas bombs were 'liberally used' in this residential area where many people, including those pedestrians who had nothing to do with the incident, were affected. (TK/II/YE)