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People in Turkey hold protests despite ban

Protesters march behind a banner reading, "We know the killer," during a demonstration on October 13, 2015 in Istanbul, Turkey, following twin bomb blasts in Ankara on October 10. (AFP Photo)

Protesters have taken to the streets in several cities and towns across Turkey, despite security officials banning gatherings by family and friends of those who died in last weeks bombings.

Scuffles broke out on Tuesday between riot police and protesters in the capital, Ankara, and main city, Istanbul.

In Ankara, police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who tried to march in the city, while another group of protesters held a short student sit-in at Ankara University's faculty of political science to commemorate the victims.

Turkish riot police scuffle with protesters during a demonstration on October 13, 2015 in Istanbul against the October 10 bombings in Ankara. (AFP Photo)

 

People took to streets in Istanbul despite an announcement by the governor of Istanbul that he will not allow any protest rally, citing “sensitivities at this time.”

Police arrested several protesters in Istanbul’s Kadikoy District as they attempted to reach a demonstration in commemoration of the victims of the twin bomb blasts in Ankara on October 10, where 128 people were killed and more than 200 injured.

The bombs targeted an anti-government rally, protesting against the Turkish government's policy toward the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Selahattin Demirtas, the co-chair of the People's Democratic Party (HDP), said, “This is not an attack against the unity of our state and nation. This is an attack by our nation against our people.”

Demonstrators hold portraits of people killed in October 10, 2015 bombings as they attend a commemoration in Ankara, October 13, 2015. (AFP Photo)

 

Meanwhile, similar demonstrations were reported on Tuesday in the towns of Sanliurfa, Malatya, Gaziantep, Yalova, Eskisehir, and Samsun in commemoration of the victims of the blasts.

Some protesters shouted anti-government slogans, blaming the government for the twin bomb attack.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, however, has dismissed any role by the government in the attack and vowed to bring those responsible to justice, saying that the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group is the main suspect.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has announced that several arrests have been made in connection with the Ankara bombings.

The recent bombings have raised fears over security matters ahead of snap parliamentary elections on November 1. 


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