Brussels, 03/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton called, on 2 June, for “restraint on all sides” and an end to the violence in Turkey, not only in Istanbul but also in several other Turkish towns. “Dialogue should be opened to find a peaceful solution to this issue”, Ashton's spokesman states in a press release. Voicing her deep concern regarding the violence, Ashton regretted the “disproportionate use of force by members of the Turkish police”. The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, said the severity with which the police responded is totally out of proportion and will only bring about more protest. Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule, who is to go to Turkey at the end of the week, expressed concern at the scenes in Taksim Square. He underlined his support for Turkish President Abdullah Gül's call for restraint. Füle also called for restraint on all sides, for the launch of inclusive dialogue and for the freedom of the media to be restored.
Several member states also reacted. On 1 June, the British Foreign Office urged the authorities to hold back and not to use tear gas indiscriminately. Steffen Seibert, the spokesman for the German government, who followed the situation with concern, called, on 3 June, upon all those involved to show “reason”, urging them to take part in “dialogue” and “appeasement”. London, like Berlin, said the freedom to voice one's opinion and to demonstrate is a fundamental right of democracy.
Noting that the Turkish government recognised that excessive force may have been used against demonstrators, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, said that all allegations should be the subject of investigation and everything must be done to avoid excessive use of force in the future. He encouraged the authorities to examine the underlying causes of the protests and to do everything possible to resolve the problem in a peaceful and democratic way.
The demonstrations, which, on 31 May, sprung out of a protest against a plan to build a commercial centre instead of a park in the centre of Istanbul, continue in a politicised way against the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (CG/transl.jl)