Turkey: Fear Spreads as Erdoğan Supporters Chant “Let’s Crush Taksim”

Prime minister Erdoğan addresses the crowds at an Istanbul airport.
Still from YouTube video

Thousands of supporters greeted prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan outside an Istanbul airport chanting “let us go, let’s crush Taksim”, as fear spreads that violent clashes are soon to follow.

Earlier reports had claimed that Erdoğan may be softening his stance against the protests which now enter an eighth day, but as he returned from a visit to Morocco he remained defiant describing the protests as “lawless” and “dirty games”. Speaking to the crowd of AKP supporters who were informed of the pro-government demonstration by SMS and reportedly bused to the airport by government services, were then told that the Taksim protests must come to an end “immediately”.

You can hear the AKP supporting crowds chanting in this video:

One Turkish reporter described it as the “worst and most provocative speech in Turkish politics” he’s heard.

Erdogan provokes its supporters at airport arrival. This is the worst and most provocative speech in Turkish politics I have ever heard.

— Razi Canikligil (@canikligil) June 6, 2013

Meanwhile, in Taksim Square, the focal point for these week-long protests, the thousands of protesters on the streets continued their chants of “Tayyip resign”, calling for the resignation of top politicians and police chiefs over their brutal suppression of the demonstrations.

Much attention has been brought to the carnival atmosphere at Taksim Square and Gezi Park in Istanbul, with protesters from all sectors of society dancing, chanting, and sitting together peacefully since the police withdrawal a few days ago. In Ankara, however, without the watchful eye of the world’s media, the heavy use of tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons continues.

As the protests continue into a second week, many questioned if the protests would fizzle out or continue to rage on, but with Erdoğan refusing to make concessions to the protesters demands, and making inflammatory speeches such as seen at the Istanbul airport, there are no signs of the protests abating. The question now, however, is whether the protesters will be left to protest peacefully, or whether they will be met with violence from an increasingly vocal group of pro-government AKP supporters.

Speaking today about Erdoğan combative speech, one protester told us:

“We are all worried…We don’t want this speech to be the beginning of the dark future of Turkey. We may be attacked and murdered tonight or tomorrow night or the other”