Erdogan Cheered, Criticized In AKP Stronghold
A crowd rallies for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a show of force against the protests, but not without a sense of apprehension even in one of his party’s main strongholds.
ANKARA, Turkey - A crowd of some 100,000 supporters rallied in support of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in one of his main strongholds near Ankara [June 15] in a show of force amid unprecedented street protests opposing his rule. Outside the venue, however, many watched with apprehension and some even pledged to never vote for him again.
Greeted as “the master of masters” and “a world leader,” Erdogan issued a final warning to protesters occupying Gezi Park in Istanbul to evacuate the place. Only hours later, police launched a violent clampdown on the encampment.
At the rally in Sincan — where 64% voted for Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2011 — there was little sympathy for the protest movement, triggered by Erdogan’s overbearing style and controversial policies such as an aggressive urban construction drive, restrictions on alcohol and tight control of the media.
“There is nothing rightful in their cause. If they don’t want to die they should not go to street protests. They should rather go to the ballot box when the time comes,” 52-year-old worker Salim Basal said when asked about the four dead and hundreds of injured since May 31. A shopkeeper who declined to be named added, “The police has been softer than they should be. Erdogan is tough but that’s how a leader should be.”
