Israel Matzav

Oh my: Turkish protesters set fire to Erdogan's AKP party offices

Protesters set fire to the Izmir offices of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's AKP party overnight, as riots continued across Turkey.

In the western port city of Izmir, protesters through fire bombs at AK Party offices overnight and television footage showed part of the building ablaze. Firefighters put out the fire, the Dogan news agency reported.

Bus shelters, paving stones and street signs ripped up by protesters to make barricades that littered a major avenue by the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul where some of the heaviest clashes took place overnight, and graffiti covered walls.

Roads around Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's office in Istanbul were sealed off as police fired teargas to push back protesters in the early hours of Monday.

In the main street near Erdogan's office, one demonstrator drove a small mechanical digger towards police lines as other protesters followed behind. At a nearby mosque, medical staff including trainee doctors treated those hurt in the clashes.

Police raided a shopping complex in the center of the capital Ankara where they believed demonstrators were sheltering, detaining several hundred.

Can't wait to hear what they have to say about this in the US State Department briefing later today. After all, Erdogan is President Hussein Obama's Best Friend Forever. 

Labels: AKP, Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:33 AM