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             EU: Turkey Should Avoid Use of Excessive Police Force

   The European Union has told Turkey use of excessive police force has no
   place in a democracy, following a week of protests that have sparked
   clashes between police and anti-government demonstrators.
   EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele made those remarks Friday at a
   conference in Istanbul attended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
   Erdogan.
   During the protests, police have used tear gas and water cannons on
   demonstrators. At least two people have been killed, thousands hurt,
   and thousands of others arrested.
   The government has apologized for the use of force.
   Earlier Friday, Mr. Erdogan demanded the anti-government protests end
   immediately and said they border on illegality. He spoke at Istanbul`s
   airport to thousands of his supporters as they welcomed him back from a
   trip to North Africa.
   "We can`t allow anyone to behave in an unlawful way in this country, to
   destroy by vandalizing, to destroy cities and private property and hurt
   our people."
   Protesters marched again Thursday in Istanbul and Ankara, demanding
   that Mr. Erdogan resign. They accuse him of imposing his conservative
   Islamic views on a secular nation.
   The protests were sparked last week by government plans to tear down a
   public park in Istanbul for new construction. Mr. Erdogan has so far
   refused to scrap those plans.
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   ve-police-force/1677342.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-turkey-should-avoid-use-of-excessive-police-force/1677342.html