site.btaGendarmerie, Activists Clash at Eco-protest in Turkiye

Clashes broke out between the gendarmerie and protesters during an eco-protest in Mugla Province, southwestern Turkiye, Turkish media reported on Saturday.

Locals and environmental activists, including Trade Union members and opposition politicians, have been camping near Akbelen Forest in Mugla Province since Monday. The people do not want the trees in the area to be cut down and are against the planned expansion of a coal mine, according to Oda TV.

Turkish security forces used tear gas and water cannons on Friday to disperse a crowd protesting against the mine expansion, the yesilgazete.org media platform stated. The gendarmerie used violence against the demonstrators, some of whom were injured. Activists were reportedly detained, the report reads.

People's Republican Party (PRP) Leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu arrived in the area on Friday to express his support for the demonstrators. After listening to the environmentalists with his accompanying delegation, Kilicdaroglu pointed out he arrived to find out everything about the issue.

“I came here not because I have just learned about the case, but to give you an opportunity to tell your problems. It doesn't matter if I will speak in Ankara, what matters is that you speak here,” the PRP leader said. “This tree, this pine is not only your tree, it is the tree of 85 million people,” he added. Kilicdaroglu and his accompanying delegation were allowed into the Akbelen Forest. However, the police did not allow other citizens to enter the forest.

According to Oda TV, the demonstrators became angry at Kilicdaroglu‘s departure, urging him not to return to his car but to join the protesters.

The protest is expected to continue on Saturday as more demonstrators will arrive in the area. However, the gendarmerie has blocked all roads in the area leading to the Akbelen Forest, according to the Haberler website.

Ten years ago, a small protest by environmental activists against the destruction of Istanbul's Gezi Park turned into an anti-government protest that gradually spread across the country.