Ninth anniversary of Gezi Park protests: Police use tear gas against crowd

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After the Taksim Solidarity called on the people to come to İstanbul's Taksim at 7 p.m. today (May 31) to mark the ninth anniversary of the 2013 Gezi Park protests, police closed the entrance of the Gezi Park and the street where a demonstration was planned to take place.

The police surrounded the park with barricades and parked a bus at the entrance of the street where the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers is located.

Police did not allow the members of the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP), who wanted to enter the park, and surrounded them. Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Musa Piroğlu was among the group. After the group started chanting slogans, police detained them.

After detentions, the TİP called on its members to gather on İpek Street, where the police had parked a bus.

After the required permission for the demonstration was received from the authorities, the police removed the bus.

Gezi'yi anmak için Taksim'e çıkan TİP'e polis ablukası pic.twitter.com/QAzb2J27UB

— Hikmet Adal (@HikmetAdal) May 31, 2022

The crowd on İpek Street chanted the slogans, "Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance," "Don't obey, lay claim to your country," "No to sharia, fascism and darkness."

Mothers of Berkin Elvan, Ali İsmail Korkmaz and Ahmet Atakan, HDP deputies Oya Ersoy and Musa Piroğlu, and TİP deputies Sera Kadıgil and Ahmet Şık attended the demonstration.

Police blocked a group of protesters who wanted to march towards the İstiklal Avenue, and police fired tear gas at them. The group turned back.

Police also used tear gas against the protesters on Sıraselviler Street, a street leading to Taksim Square.

İpek Sokak'tan İstiklal'e yürümek isteyen gruba polis izin vermedi. Grup "Her yer Taksim, her yer direniş" sloganları atıyor. pic.twitter.com/knHE432uzP

— Hikmet Adal (@HikmetAdal) May 31, 2022

Timeline of the Gezi resistance:

(HA/VK)