No public relations mastermind can reverse the iconic images that came out of Turkey in the past two weeks that showcased police use of excessive force. Reuters' top photo on May 28th, for example, showed a young woman standing defenseless while a police officer wearing a gas mask sprayed pepper into her face; or another woman widely opening her arms to both sides while a riot van directs pressurized water at her.

Not only have those pictures stood as proof of the protesters' “soft power” and courage, but there have been so many iconic pictures of that kind, which showed the police using intense amounts of tear and pepper gas, covering the air like a huge cloud, making even eyesight impossible, and burning the eyes, nose and throat.

I know it so well because, as an asthma patient, I have suffered three big asthma attacks since May 31 trying to witness what has been taking place on Ankara’s streets. People are not making it up that police have attacked protesters for no reason at all.

As if this were not part of reality, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan today [June 13] continued his attempts to undercut those protesters' democratic right to express themselves. It’s inexplicable for a government like this, which really has not been challenged at the ballot box since it came to power in 2002, to be so intolerant of protests that began in defense of a dozen trees in Gezi Park.