Police intervene in Ankara as another machete-wielding man threatens protesters

ANKARA - Hürriyet

Protesters gathered in Ankara to commemorate the death of the fifth Gezi protester, Ali İsmail Korkmaz, who succumbed to his injuries on July 10. AA photo

Police in Ankara’s central Kızılay district used water cannons and tear gas against a group of protesters who gathered to commemorate the death of the fifth Gezi protester, Ali İsmail Korkmaz, who succumbed to his injuries July 10. The intervention took place at the junction of Kennedy Avenue and Atatürk Avenue, near the U.S. Embassy, where the demonstrators staged a sit-in.  

Another commemoration was staged in the Dikmen area of the capital, which was marked by an incident in which a man with a machete got out of a car and attacked the protesters. Police did not immediately stop the man but miraculously nobody was injured, daily Hürriyet reported.

People with machetes had also chased Gezi protesters and bystanders during the police crackdown at Taksim Square this weekend in Istanbul, sparking an enormous outcry that added to the outrage of the demonstrators from previous similar occurrences.

The man with the machete seen in amateur footage, identified as a shop owner in the Talimhane district where a number of touristic hotels are located, was released pending trial after being briefly taken into custody.

The Istanbul police had also raised eyebrows by not intervening against the men carrying sticks and machetes, which was interpreted as a deliberate move to intimidate the protesters.