It started ten days ago, with a park, Taksim Square – a historic site and one of the last open green spaces in the crowded city centre of Istanbul. It was set to be turned into a shopping mall, until thousands protesters crowded. Demonstrations spiraled into nation-wide protests, that were met with extreme police brutality. Turkey, influenced by its neighbours, joined in the wave of protests that have taken over Arab countries in the last few months. What began as a call to cancel building plans has become a demand for authoritarian Conservative Prime Minister Erdogan’s resignation who seeks to impose religious ideals on a secular nation.
Prime Minister Erdogan though, shows no signs of relenting. Today he gave a speech to his supporters from atop a bus in Ankara, an anti-protest stronghold south of Istanbul, calling the protesters a “handful of looters” and argued that if there was continued protest, his patience would wane; what that means only time will tell.
Here at the Bouillon, most of our attention this week has been centred on our own federal governance. Harper has had a rough couple of weeks, with calls of corruption and scandal being made against the Conservative party. Need a quick run-through? Check out Canadian Corruption: Where it’s Been and Where it’s Going by Emma Meldrum. If recent rumours haven’t swayed you, perhaps you’re looking for another conservative win in 2015 – read The Path to Victory: How the Tories Will Win in 2015 by M. Satti.
That’s all for now readers,
Meagan Potier
Editor-in-Chief
Featured photo: Foomandoonian, Creative Commons, Flickr