Turkish government open to referendum to end protests - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Turkey's government on Wednesday offered a first concrete gesture aimed at ending nearly two weeks of street protests, proposing a referendum on a development project in Istanbul that triggered demonstrations that have become the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 10-year tenure. The protests erupted May 31 after a violent police crackdown on a peaceful sit-in by activists objecting to a development project replacing Gezi Park with a replica Ottoman-era barracks. They then spread to dozens of cities, and have attracted tens of thousands of people each night. The proposed referendum would be over the development project, Celik said. But he said it would exclude the planned demolition of a cultural center that the protesters also oppose. Celik said the center was in an earthquake-prone area and needed to come down. Hundreds of protesters remained camped out in Gezi Park following violence between police and activists. (Osman Orsal/Reuters) Erdogan has become the centerpiece of the protesters' ire over [B]his alleged authoritarian streak.[/B] So a referendum would be a political gamble that the government would win the vote and the demonstrators would go home. A union leader who met earlier with Erdogan suggested the government was preparing a final crackdown to quash the protests. Bendevi Palandoken of Konfederation told The Associated Press that Erdogan "told me that the protests will end in 24 hours, and the police intervention will comply with European Union standards." [IMG]http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2013/06/12/hi-turkey-wreckage-852-rtx1-4col.jpg[/IMG] [url]http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/06/12/turkey-protests-istanbul-erdogan.html[/url] [/QUOTE] I really doubt fixing the simple issue of the park and cultural center or whatever it was will do anything. I think this event has escalated into a movement because of the government aggressive actions towards the protests.

[QUOTE=Rangergxi;41017480]I really doubt fixing the simple issue of the park and cultural center or whatever it was will do anything. I think this event has escalated into a movement because of the government aggressive actions towards the protests.[/QUOTE] I'll quote far cry 2 because i'm a douchebag "The harder you beat a man the taller he stands" This is only going to escalate more and more, the only option at this point is for the gov't to surrender or get destroyed by protesters

If Turkey starts being another heavily conservative backwards-marching state, then everything in that region of the world is going to go to shit, and the guy has already been in power for ten years.

Meanwhile Prime Minister says "There's no way to negotiate, we'll finish these protests in 24 hours." on TV. Goverment is playing two sided now, and everyone else is just laughing at them

This is not a good thing. Courts have deemed the plans are not lawful and already stopped proceedings regarding the destruction of the park and construction of a mall or whatever. A referendum now is not only an attempt for the government to covertly implement its own agenda but also unconstitutional.

[QUOTE=Reds;41017843]If Turkey starts being another heavily conservative backwards-marching state, then everything in that region of the world is going to go to shit, and the guy has already been in power for ten years.[/QUOTE] The protests are about peoples discontent with how authoritarian the government is perceived. Stay out of SH scare threads.

[QUOTE=SlightReturn;41018189]Meanwhile Prime Minister says "There's no way to negotiate, we'll finish these protests in 24 hours." on TV. Goverment is playing two sided now, and everyone else is just laughing at them[/QUOTE] I really hope that is the case. I hope this new attempt to look good for the cameras and act "democratic" for the foreign press does not change the international view on the police brutality and a regime with authoritarian tendencies.

Totally missing the point of the protests. It's like trying to quell an erupting volcano by plugging one side vent.

[QUOTE=Fetret;41018321]This is not a good thing. Courts have deemed the plans are not lawful and already stopped proceedings regarding the destruction of the park and construction of a mall or whatever. A referendum now is not only an attempt for the government to covertly implement its own agenda but also unconstitutional.[/QUOTE] Ah, the rule of law. Truly the bane of any government hell bent on pushing its agenda. You Turks stay strong. At least in Western Europe, everyone is on your side.