Turkey PM claims victory after protest crackdown

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, June 18, claimed victory over anti-government protesters after a heavy crackdown, as police raided homes and arrested dozens of demonstrators in a bid to stamp out nearly three weeks of unrest. Overnight, riot police in the capital Ankara briefly fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters in Taksim square who hurled back stones and hid behind makeshift barricades, but there were no other reports of confrontations. As the protests appeared to lose their intensity, Erdogan said he had overcome the crisis, seen as the biggest challenge yet to his Islamist-rooted government’s decade-long rule. “Our democracy has been tested again and came out victoriously,” the premier told members of his ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) to roaring applause.

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