Turkey Protests: 'The Worst Is Yet To Come'

The death of Berkin Elvan -- a Turkish teenager who died after being hit by a tear-gas canister on his way to buy a loaf of bread during last summer's Gezi protests-- has once again fed anti-government sentiment in the country.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Istanbul and Ankara last week, urging the Erdogan government to resign.

"The feeling on the streets is very emotional, very tense," said Tulin Daloglu, a columnist for Al-Monitor's Turkey Pulse, on HuffPost Live. The tension is only building, she added.

While Elvan's grew into a symbol for the protests movement, demonstrators have a list of complaints ranging from corruption, authoritarian rule, a massive crackdown on dissent to a lack of accountability for the authorities.

"It's about justice," Daloglu said. "If you're not on the side of the government, there is no way you can stand before a judge and stand a fair trial. It's what brought this huge crowd across the nation."

Daloglu, who suffered asthma attacks from the tear gas while reporting added, "It is us versus them or them versus us, or whatever that means, it's just very irritating, very difficult on the streets." Dalogly told HuffPostLive host Ahmed Shihab-Eldin that she expects the worst is yet to come.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com/
Author: The Huffington Post  | by  Lauren Betesh