The Real News: 240,000 Turkish Workers Join As Mass Protests Reach More Than 67 Cities

Turkey's protest movement isn't about a park. The roots of the society's anger at Erdoğan is deeper, it is connected to existential and identity issues. It's about how Turkey's past is remembered and how its future is going to be shaped. Erdoğan is banning alcohol in public and using state power to dramatically alter the lifestyles of Turkish citizens. Taking these intrusive steps is not popular in any country, not even in traditionally conservative and Muslim countries.

Erdoğan is trying to create a lite version of the Islamic Republic on the social and cultural side of things, while still maintaining a pro-Western foreign policy. It's a tricky balance. His government is sacrificing the interests of Turkey to fulfill the goals of Israel and the United States in Syria and the region. Erdoğan is betting on the fact that his people are stupid and won't realize that he is just posing as an Islamic leader, or that they won't say anything and just watch events unfold helplessly. But it looks like that won't happen. Most politically aware people in Turkey are seeing through the fraud of the Erdoğan administration so I don't see how Erdoğan is going to succeed other than by suppressing the population with brute force.

It's going to get ugly, especially if the war in Syria escalates and the United States and Israel are serious about attacking Syria to get Assad out of power. 

240,000 Turkish Workers Join As Mass Protests Reach More Than 67 Cities. Source: The Real News:

Confederation of unions, stage two day strike in solidarity with protestors, against police brutality and for a more democratic Turkey.