People who emulate yellow vest protests in Turkey will pay heavy price: MHP leader

ANKARA

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chair Devlet Bahçeli has described the Yellow Vests anti-government protests in France as “terrorism,” warning that those who may try to emulate them in Turkey will pay a heavy price. 

“I am noting in advance that if there are any Yellow Vests terrorism wannabes, they will pay a heavy price for it. Those who wear a yellow vest should brace for sleeping naked. It is no joke,” state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Bahçeli as saying in a written statement on Dec. 12.

Bahçeli stressed in the statement that he continues to support his party’s de facto alliance with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) ahead of the March 31, 2019 local elections.

“We will act with sincerity. We will not get stuck on minor issues. We will free Turkey from its shackles with the spirit of the People’s Alliance,” he said. “Those who try to plot against Turkey for the morning of April 1 [the day after the local elections] and whoever sees yellow dreams will face us.”

The yellow vests worn by French protesters have become the symbol of the wave of demonstrations that began in November against a rise in fuel taxes but mushroomed to include a range of demands, including the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron on Dec. 10 announced a series of financial measures seeking to defuse the revolt.

An estimated 136,000 people turned out for the nationwide protests last weekend — the same number as a week earlier.

Since the start of the protests, more than 4,500 people have been detained, police said.