Ghosts of Gezi protests still haunt Erdogan

The timing of President Erdogan’s recent outbursts targeting the 2013 Gezi protests hints that the protests will play a central role in his campaigning ahead of the June 2023 elections. 
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to his supporters on June 7, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to his supporters on June 7, 2013, in Istanbul, Turkey. Thousands of supporters greeted the prime minister at Istanbul airport on his return from a North African tour, while thousands more protestors rallied again in Istanbul's Taksim Square. - Uriel Sinai/Getty Images
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Pinar Tremblay
@pinartremblay

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s angry outbursts are nothing new, and his new favorite punching bag seems to have become the Gezi protests that took place nine years ago. 

Addressing a group of Turkish businesspeople on June 13, Erdogan blamed “multipronged attacks that kicked off with the Gezi protests” for his country's failure to reach the national income of $1.5 trillion. “We will not give our last breath before we settle the score with them,” he pledged. 

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