Violent protests have raged in Istanbul for four days in a row
By Keith Wagstaff | 4:17pm EST
Demonstrators shout slogans against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in central Istanbul, June 2.
REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Turkey has been wracked by violent protests for four days, in what has quickly become the most significant public challenge to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 10-year rule.
The scenes on the streets of Istanbul and elsewhere — featuring rock-throwing protesters pitted against riot police armed with tear gas — bear a striking resemblance to the Arab Spring riots that have toppled regimes across the Middle East.
Erdogan, for his part, has adamantly rejected comparisons between the Turkish protests and the Arab Spring movement. "We already have a spring in Turkey," said Erdogan, referring to the fact that Turkey boasts one of the most successful democracies in the Muslim world. "But there are those who want to turn this spring into winter."
Indeed, many commentators say it would be foolish to stick Turkey under the same umbrella as Egypt, Syria, Libya, and Yemen.
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