U.S. Embassy In Ankara Deletes Tweets Disputing Erdogan's Comment
Some have likened antigovernment protests in Turkey to the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States.
U.S. Embassy In Ankara Deletes Tweets Disputing Erdogan's Comment
The U.S. Embassy in Turkey has deleted statements it had made on its official Twitter account on June 7 disputing comments made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States.
During a European Union conference in Istanbul on June 7, Erdogan lashed out at criticism by the EU regarding the excessive force used against antigovernment demonstrators in Istanbul.
“Those who try to lecture us, what did they do about the Wall Street incidents?" Erdogan asked. "Tear gas, the death of 17 people happened there. What was the reaction?"
According to the Istanbul-based "Hurriyet Daily News," approximately an hour later the U.S. Embassy in Ankara tweeted the following on its official Twitter account in both English and Turkish.
"Reports related to the U.S. Occupy Wall Street movement are inaccurate," the tweet said. "No U.S. deaths resulted from police actions in #OWS."
"Hurriyet Daily News" also reports that U.S. Embassy officials have confirmed that the tweets were, indeed, deleted but added that they stand by their statement.
Al-Jazeera's live blog on the protests in Turkey also took note of the U.S. Embassy's tweet on June 7.
The Occupy Wall Street Movement, which began in New York City in September 2011, united protesters in a fight against social and economic inequality.
For more than a week now, antigovernment demonstrations have been taking place in Istanbul and other Turkish cities, leaving three dead and hundreds injured.
Some have likened the protests in Turkey to the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States.
On Twitter, one of the most prominent hashtags concerning the protests has been #OccupyGezi.
The protests in Turkey began with peaceful demonstrations against a development project that would destroy Gezi Park, one of the few remaining green areas in central Istanbul.
These demonstrations subsequently morphed into widespread protests against Erdogan's rule following a violent crackdown by the police on May 31.
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