Huge trade union joins Turkey protest

A Turkish trade union representing 240,000 people began a two-day strike today amid continuing anti-government street protests in which two demonstrators have died.

The Left-wing Kesk trade union accused the government of committing “state terror”, as it emerged a man shot dead yesterday was a member of the youth wing of the opposition Republican People’s Party.

Abdullah Comert, 22, was killed in Antakya in the south of the country, near the border with Syria. He was shot by “an unidentified person” according to the local governor’s office, which claimed he was possibly killed by demonstrators trying to inflame tensions, and claimed police also came under fire.

Meanwhile, officials said the death of another protester, a man aged 20, in Istanbul on Sunday was an accident. He was reportedly hit by a car that ignored warning to stop and ploughed through a crowd of demonstrators.

Police have used tear gas to quell protests which started peacefully on Friday against plans to cut down trees in Istanbul’s historic Taksim Square to make way for a shopping centre.

The protests have developed into anti-government rallies, with some calling for prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to go. They accuse the government of being “authoritarian” and forcing conservative, Islamic views on to secular Turks.

Mr Erdogan called for calm and blamed Turkey’s opposition, labelling protesters “extremists”, “looters” and a “minority” trying to force their demands on the majority. “The protests weren’t about the squares or the trees — some parties were not happy about results of the elections,” he said last night. “The situation is a lot calmer now and reason seems to be prevailing.

“I think things will return to normal. These demonstrations are not all over Turkey, just in some big cities.” He insisted the protests could not be compared to the Arab Spring. More than 1,700 people have been arrested in demonstrations in 67 towns and cities.