Erdogan Remains Defiant As Istanbul Protest Widens
It began with May Day demonstrations in Taksim Square that were suppressed by the government. A month later, and the protest has spread across Turkey.
![TURKEY-PROTESTS/ Riot police hide behind their shields during clashes with demonstrators during a protest against Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in central Ankara June 1, 2013. Erdogan made a defiant call for an end to the fiercest anti-government demonstrations in years on Saturday, as thousands of protesters clashed with riot police in Istanbul and Ankara for a second day. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX1088W](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2013/06/Turkey-riots-II.jpg/Turkey-riots-II.jpg?h=930a6ae7&itok=8CHO2uPb)
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May 2013 will go down in Turkish history as a truly memorable chapter.
It began with the embittered clashes for Taksim Square which was closed by authorities to May 1 demonstrations on “safety grounds,” leading to scenes that left the main parts of the city covered in a blanket of pepper spray, and in destruction.
It ended with yet another battle, 30 days later, for the same square, people speaking more articulately this time. And a series of political repercussions on the way Turkey is managed by the willful rule of Erdogan himself.