Erdogan vows to build barracks in controversial site in Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will revive controversial building plans for Istanbul, including setting up barracks in a sensitive site in the city.

“God willing, first we will build historically appropriate barracks at Taksim, whether they like it or not,” he said on Tuesday, referring to the city’s iconic square.

He also said plans to raze the city’s Gezi Park, which sparked deadly protests three years ago, would be renewed.

The project, named “The Urban Reconstruction of Taksim Square and the Taksim Barracks,” would reportedly cost $5.4 million to complete.

“The military barracks in Taksim will be built in its original style whether they want it or not. And do you know what we will build there? We will build a history museum. We will build a city museum,” Erdogan said.

In June 2013, Turks took to the streets to protest the planned destruction of the park for the construction of a shopping mall. The protests, which snowballed into massive demonstrations against Erdogan’s policies faced a bloody crackdown.

Dozens of people were killed and about 7,500 others wounded in the nationwide demonstrations against the proposed demolition of the park.

In his Tuesday remarks, Erdogan also said he would knock down the historic Ataturk Cultural Center to build Turkey’s first opera house at Taksim Square.

The remarks come hot on the heels of a botched putsch, which began late on July 15 when a faction of the Turkish military declared it was in control of the country and the government was no more in charge.

Tanks, helicopters, and soldiers then clashed with police and people on the streets of the capital, Ankara, and Istanbul. A total of 290 people were killed in the attempted coup d’état, which was gradually suppressed.

Observers say the coup bid may have emboldened the Turkish government to pursue its controversial policies more aggressively and silence its opponents.

Nearly 20,000 members of the police, civil services, the judiciary, and the army have been detained or suspended in the aftermath of the coup.

On Monday, an Ankara court placed under arrest 26 former generals suspected of planning the coup, including former Turkish air force chief General Akin Ozturk, whom some Turkish media have portrayed as the mastermind of the plot.

Turkish authorities subsequently jailed the former officials.

Ozturk on Tuesday denied having been the leader of the coup.

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