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Turkey warns it may use army to end protest unrest

Turkey warned on Monday it may bring in the army to help quell nearly three weeks of nationwide anti-government protests as two major union federations went on strike over police violence against demonstrators. The government raised the threat of putting soldiers on the streets after a weekend of violent clashes sparked by the eviction of campers occupying Istanbul's Gezi Park, the epicentre of the protest movement.

Turkey could deploy army to quell protests

By Jonathon Burch and Daren Butler ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's deputy prime minister said on Monday the armed forces could be called up if needed to help quell popular protests that have swept Turkish cities in the last two weeks, the first time the possibility of a military role has been raised. Bulent Arinc made the remarks in Ankara, where 1,000 striking trade union workers faced off briefly against police backed by several water cannon, before police retreated and the crowd left.

Turkey warns it may deploy army to end protest unrest

Turkey warned on Monday it may bring in the army to help quell nationwide anti-government protests as two major union federations went on strike over police violence against demonstrators. The presence of soldiers on the streets would mark a major escalation of a crisis that has raged for nearly three weeks and poses the biggest challenge yet to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government.

'Shocked' Merkel hardens line on Turkey crackdown

Germany, home to the world's largest Turkish expatriate community, gave its strongest condemnation to date Monday of Ankara's violent crackdown on protests, with Chancellor Angela Merkel warning the government to respect democratic freedoms. In the toughest comments by a European leader since the weekend sweep by security forces in major Turkish cities, Merkel blasted the response as heavy-handed.

Turkish response to protests 'much too harsh': Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that she was shocked by Turkey's violent crackdown on protests in major cities, saying it "was much too harsh". "There were horrible images in which one could see that the approach was much too harsh in my view," Merkel told commercial broadcaster RTL in reaction to news coverage of riot police breaking up demonstrations in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. "What is happening in Turkey at the moment does not meet with our ideas of freedom of assembly, (or) freedom of expression," she said. "I am in any case shocked."

Berlin urges Turkey to respect freedom to demonstrate

Germany on Sunday urged Turkey to "respect the freedom to demonstrate and freedom of expression," saying that Ankara was sending the wrong signal by cracking down on protesters. "The German government has warned several times: freedom to demonstrate and freedom of expression must be guaranteed and peaceful citizens respected," government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a tweet, reacting to the latest violence in Turkey.

Berlin urges Turkey to respect freedom to demonstrate

Germany on Sunday urged Turkey to "respect the freedom to demonstrate and freedom of expression," in a tweet by government spokesman Steffen Seibert. "The German government has warned several times: freedom to demonstrate and freedom of expression must be guaranteed and peaceful citizens respected," the spokesman said, reacting to the latest violence in Turkey. In another tweet, Seibert said there should be "a continuation of dialogue" in Turkey, adding: "The German government again calls on all parties to reason".

Tens of thousands gather at pro-Erdogan rally in Istanbul

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's supporters massed at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday, as riot police fired tear gas to break up pockets of anti-government protesters in the city centerseveral kilometers away. "We are the silent majority, not the riff-raff who are trying to frighten us," Ruveyda Alkan, 32, said among the sea of Erdogan's AK Party faithful at an Istanbul parade ground. (Reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Turkish government supporters gather in Istanbul

Tens of thousands of Turkish government supporters were expected in Istanbul Sunday, hours after police stormed a city park to clear it of opponents of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Riot police used tear gas and water cannon late Saturday to reclaim Gezi Park from demonstrators occupying what had become the symbolic heart of nationwide anti-government protests. The officers moved in just two hours after Erdogan issued an ultimatum to the protesters telling them to quit the park.

Turkey protesters reject 'last warning' to evacuate park

Turkish protesters said Thursday they would remain in Istanbul's Gezi Park despite a "last warning" by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to evacuate the green patch at the centre of deadly anti-government unrest. "We will stay in Gezi Park with all our demands and sleeping bags," Taksim Solidarity, the core group behind the campaign to save the park, said in a statement, rejecting a government proposal to hold a referendum on the site's controversial redevelopment.
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