In view of the "overreaction of the police," the minister sees erdogan in particular as having a duty to do so. "Minister-president erdogan has a special responsibility to calm the situation. He must be aware of this responsibility," said westerwelle.
On friday evening, a large number of people again gathered peacefully on taksim square in istanbul.
EU enlargement commissioner stefan fule called on the turkish government to punish those responsible for unabated police violence against demonstrators. "The important thing now is not only to conduct quick and transparent investigations, but also to hold those responsible accountable," fule said friday at a conference in istanbul attended by erdogan.
The EU and countries seeking EU membership had an obligation to strive for the highest democratic standards, fule said, according to a pre-circulated redema script. He cited the freedom of opinion and assembly as well as the right to free media reporting. Also groups of the society, which did not feel represented by the parliament, had to get attention.
"Peaceful demonstrations are a legitimate way for these groups in a democratic society to express their views," said fule. "Excessive police violence against these groups has no place in such a democracy"."
Earlier in the day, erdogan had called for an immediate end to the protests on his return from north africa. In front of thousands of supporters of his islamic conservative AKP, erdogan said early friday morning at ataturk airport in istanbul that the demonstrations had lost their democratic justification and had become vandalism.
The protest movement stood up to erdogan. The demonstrators made no move to clear their camp on the edge of taksim square in istanbul. "We are here to stay. We continue to fight. He can’t intimidate us with his threats," said one young woman. The camp of the protest movement in gezi park has increasingly taken on the character of a small village with tents, vendors and cultural events in recent days following the withdrawal of the police. The violent eviction of the camp sparked protests in many cities last week.
Opponents of erdogan continued their demonstrations in several provinces of the country. In istanbul, there were new clashes in at least one neighborhood on friday night. Tens of thousands were on the streets around taksim square. The protests are directed primarily against the increasingly authoritarian course of erdogan and his islamic-conservative AKP. A replica of an ottoman barracks is planned for gezi park, which will include shops and apartments.
Grunen leader cem ozdemir expects the situation in turkey to escalate if erdogan remains tough: "this won’t go well for long," ozdemir said on WDR5’s "morgenecho. The dispute over a municipal policy project had been unresolved. "But they reacted the way they almost always react in turkey: they let the police loose on the people."A small uprising has now turned into a large one, said ozdemir, who himself has turkish roots.
In an open letter in germany, politicians from all major parties as well as artists and writers called for an end to the authoritarian paternalism and police violence against peaceful demonstrators in turkey. The protesters are a symbol of the great longing for a free, democratic and humanistic society," he said.
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