[ti:Erdogan Rejects Criticism of Turkey Protests] [ar:Katherine Cole] [al:In The News] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]Go to 51voa.com for more... [00:04.05]From VOA Learning English, [00:06.42]this is In the News. [00:08.72]Turkey's Prime Minister has rejected [00:11.75]criticism of police violence against protesters. [00:15.99]Recep Tayyip Erdogan was reacting to comments [00:20.53]from a European Union official. [00:23.22]The EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fuele, [00:27.66]had earlier urged Turkey to investigate the violence [00:31.35]and punish those responsible. [00:33.44]The Turkish leader said on Friday that police in Europe [00:38.40]would use even greater force against protesters. [00:41.98]The two men spoke at a conference in Istanbul. [00:46.16]Turkey is seeking membership in the EU. [00:49.90]On Thursday, Prime Minister Erdogan [00:53.49]had demanded an immediate end to nationwide protests [00:57.73]against his government. [00:59.38]He spoke at Istanbul's airport to thousands of supporters. [01:03.76]The crowd shouted "We will crush them" [01:07.09]and "God is Great" as they waited for him to return [01:10.14]from a week-long visit to North African nations. [01:14.29]Speaking to the crowd, the prime minister said [01:17.97]the anti-government protests border on illegality. [01:22.21]His comments were far different from an apology [01:31.34]earlier in the week from Turkey's [01:33.77]Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc. [01:36.92]He said it was wrong to use "excessive force" [01:40.70]against people seeking to protect the environment. [01:44.34]The demonstrations began at the end of May [01:47.88]after the government announced plans [01:50.42]to redevelop Gezi park in Istanbul. [01:54.35]Protesters say the park is one of the few open [01:58.24]and natural spaces in a city of almost 14 million people. [02:04.01]The early protests were called to protect trees [02:08.30]from being destroyed. [02:10.19]The demonstrations spread across the country [02:13.43]as people reacted to the police violence. [02:16.76]One incident repeatedly shown on television news [02:21.80]and social media shows a policeman firing tear gas [02:26.59]at a woman in a red dress. [02:28.73]Some demonstrators now carry pictures of the incident that say, [02:33.81]"The more you tear gas us, the bigger we get." [02:37.75]Protesters also condemned actions aimed at enforcing Islamic rules. [02:44.47]One recent law, for example, added restrictions on alcohol use. [02:51.10]Protesters see the restrictions as evidence of [02:55.08]the government enforcing Islamic values [02:57.83]in a democratic and non-religious state. [03:01.71]As many as 1,700 protesters were arrested [03:06.74]in about 60 cities during the past week. [03:10.48]In Izmir, police raided the homes of Twitter and Facebook users. [03:16.01]The charges against those arrested said they had incited crime. [03:21.59]A young demonstrator expressed fears [03:24.97]that fighting between government supporters [03:27.52]and protesters would divide the Turkish people. [03:31.30]"I think unfortunately we will start fighting with our people, [03:39.82]the other side. The other side, their side. [03:43.85]But I don't think there's something like the other side. [03:47.94]But he's supporting the other side." [03:51.97]The proposed development of Gezi park is part of [03:56.16]a larger building project in Istanbul. [03:58.95]It includes plans to build a new mosque, [04:03.28]a shopping center and a performing arts center. [04:06.81]The proposal calls for destroying the historic Ataturk Cultural Center. [04:12.60]The center is named for Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, [04:18.34]who established the modern Republic of Turkey. [04:22.17]Last week, a local court ordered a temporary stop to work on the project. [04:29.15]Turkish media has criticized itself for failing [04:34.77]to report on the events of the past week. [04:37.82]One television network, NTV, [04:41.70]apologized after some reporters resigned in protest [04:46.99]at the lack of reporting on the early protests. [04:50.52]That's In The News. [04:52.26]I'm Katherine Cole. [04:55.45]Go to 51voa.com for more...