Turkey: ‘Two dead’ in clashes during teen’s funeral
Mar 13, – Two people have died during protests across Turkey following the funeral of a teenager wounded in anti-government clashes last year, local media report.
One protester died during clashes in Istanbul’s Kurtulus district.
In the east of the country a police officer is said to have died of a heart attack while dealing with unrest.
The protests were prompted by the death on Tuesday of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan, who had been in a coma since being hit by a tear gas canister nine months ago.
He had gone out to buy bread in Istanbul during clashes.
Violent protests
Berkin’s death on Tuesday triggered violent unrest in at least 32 towns and cities across the country – reminiscent of last year’s.
Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters in Ankara and Istanbul on Wednesday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets to mourn his death.
In the Ankara clashes, demonstrators tried to halt traffic but were stopped by police, who made a number of arrests. Several protesters were injured.
One woman broke her leg and several others were injured in the western city of Izmir when police tried to stop crowds marching towards local government buildings, the NTV news channel reported.
Protesters in Istanbul threw fireworks into police lines while hundreds of people – including bystanders caught up in the melee, sheltered in a shopping centre and a hotel lobby as police fired tear gas and pepper spray.
Large crowds yelling anti-government slogans in Istanbul had lit a huge fire as they headed towards a cemetery for Berkin’s burial.
Scuffles broke out in the city’s Taksim Square – the epicentre of last June’s mass protests – when police tried to prevent a group of protesters from congregating there.
Hurriyet said the clashes were dying down overnight after forceful police measures.
‘Suffocate the killers’
The teenager’s coffin – draped in red and covered in flowers – had been carried through the streets to a hill-top cemetery, surrounded by huge crowds.
Press journalist for HRO media – Norberto Lluch contributed to this report.
Category: European Crises
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