REPORT: Police arrest dozens of protesters in Taksim sweep

Police arrested dozens of protesters near Taksim Square on Saturday (May 31), to prevent any efforts to mark the anniversary of the biggest anti-government protests in decades.
 
On May 31, 2013, police forcefully evicted environmentalists from Gezi Park who had staged a peaceful sit-in for several days to try to stop government plans to raze the green space and build a shopping mall.
 
Angered by the use of violence, tens of thousands of people from a variety of political backgrounds descended on Gezi and occupied Taksim Square for about two weeks before authorities finally cleared the space. Many complained of what they saw as growing authoritarianism after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's decade in office.
 
Six people including one police officer died in the demonstrations, which had spread to other major Turkish cities, and another half-dozen or so others have lost their lives in related protests in the ensuing months.
 
On Saturday, riot police and water cannon blocked the road, and police chased protesters away from the square. Several people were detained.
 
Earlier Erdogan warned people to stay out of the square, saying security forces would do whatever is necessary to keep the area clear.
 
Riot police circled the perimeter of Gezi, and hundreds of plainclothes officers carrying batons patrolled Istiklal, a major shopping street that leads to Taksim as well as a popular tourist spot.
                        

REUTERS


To watch Yazbek Wehbe's report, please click on the VIDEO above