STORY: :: Turkish police scuffle with protesters condemning the removal of pro-Kurdish mayors
:: Batman, Turkey
:: November 5, 2024
Protesters gathered at a roundabout in the centre of Batman city, where the Mayor Gulistan Sonuk was removed from her seat.
Protesters at times threw objects at police and set fire to a dumpster on one street. Police used water cannon to disperse the crowd and physically pushed them to get them to leave the roundabout. Police, some dressed in plain clothes, also dragged some people away, leading to scuffles and arguments, video from the scene showed.
Turkey’s interior ministry said it had replaced the mayors from the DEM Party in the cities of Mardin, Batman and Halfeti with government-appointed administrators.
The move, which the ministry said targeted supporters of the outlawed militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), recalled past crackdowns on Kurdish politicians.
The mayors deny the charges.
