Turkey’s prime minister issued a “final warning” to protesters Thursday, demanding they end their occupation of a park next to Istanbul’s Taksim Square that has ignited the largest political crisis of his 10-year rule.
Despite the ultimatum by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, thousands of activists camping out in Gezi Park dug in for a potential culmination of their two-week standoff with authorities.
Thousands of protesters also converged on Taksim Square, where the atmosphere was festive. A musician played on a grand piano set up in the center of the square as protesters danced, while a heavy police presence stood by.
In a sign that efforts were being made to resolve the situation through negotiations rather than a police raid, Erdogan met late Thursday with some representatives of the protesters occupying the park.
Eight artists and two members of Taksim Solidarity, a group that has coordinating much of the Gezi sit-in, were involved in the meeting in Ankara, the state-run Anadolu agency said. It was the first time Erdogan has met directly with representatives of the protesters.
Taksim Solidarity member Canan Calagan, who was one of those participating, said before the talks that the meeting “will be meaningful” because it included true representatives of the protesters.
“The language developed so far has, unfortunately, not been suitable. We hope after this meeting that empathy will prevail. … We are trying for this,” she said.
However, even if a deal were to be reached, it was no guarantee the sit-in would end. Although the group has emerged as the most high-profile from the occupation that began last month, it does not speak for all the thousands of people camping in the park. Many say they have no affiliation to any group or party.
In Istanbul, the city’s governor, Huseyin Avni Mutlu, also put out an invitation to meet protesters, saying on Twitter he would be available from midnight onward at a cafe in a neighborhood near Taksim for “those who want to meet face to face, group by group … until the morning if necessary.”
Erdogan’s final warning in his speech earlier in the day showed he was determined to end the widespread protests that have trained an unflattering spotlight on his Islamic-rooted government.
“We have arrived at the end of our patience,” Erdogan told local party leaders in Ankara, the capital.
“I am giving you my final warning,” he said, directing his comments toward the protesters.
After a police raid Tuesday cleared Taksim Square of protesters who had been occupying it for nearly two weeks, chances were high that a raid on the adjacent Gezi Park would be ordered if the protesters refuse to leave. A heavy police presence remained on the square into the night Thursday.
In the capital, Ankara, about 200 people, many chanting rhythmically and waving Turkish flags emblazoned with images of modern Turkey’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, rallied at Kuvalu Park in sympathy with the Gezi Park activists.
Erdogan hasn’t publicly set a deadline for the park to be cleared, and the Interior Ministry declined immediate comment on the subject. Istanbul’s governor insisted no police raid was yet planned, although he didn’t rule one out and said the public would be informed ahead of time.
Hulya Avsar, a prominent actress who met earlier Thursday with Erdogan, said he wanted to end the standoff soon.
“‘In case they don’t withdraw in 24 hours, there will be some sort of intervention,’” she quoted the prime minister as saying. “At that point, I said, ‘I will leave’ — because there was nothing to talk about.”
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