Thousands of secularists ignored a government ban and marched in the Turkish capital Ankara Monday against what they see as a growing Islamist and authoritarian government. Dozens of police formed a barricade and when protestors, including many elderly and children, tried to storm the barricade, they began firing tear gas and water cannons. Several young girls were carried out of the crowd unconscious.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the socially conservative AK party won a third term last year. Many secular Turks worry that Erdogan has Islamist tendencies that threaten Turkey as a secular state. Erdogan has developed close ties with the new Muslim Brotherhood-led government in Egypt. Protestors also criticized Erdogan’s authoritarian style. More than 300 military officers were convicted last month of conspiring against him and given long jail sentences. Hundreds of academics, journalists and politicians have also been jailed.