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What Caused the Turkish Protests?
(Zaman-Turkey) Ihsan Dagi - Protests erupted when the government sought to demolish Gezi Park in the center of Istanbul and build a shopping mall and luxurious residences. Now Erdogan says he will build a mosque in Taksim. Trying to shift the debate from building a shopping mall in Gezi Park to the building of a mosque instead is a prime example of how religion is used to cover up and generate popular support in Turkey. The ruling party knows that as the debate revolves around Islamic symbols, it can control and rely on the support of the religious masses. The disproportionate and indiscriminate violence used by the police under the command of the government turned an environmentalist movement into an anti-government protest.