Istanbul municipality says will wretchedness Gezi Park switch

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey has transferred ownership of Istanbul’s Gezi Park, the point of passion of anti-government protests in 2013, to national from municipal ownership, drawing criticism from the opposition-bound metropolis which acknowledged it would possibly per chance per chance maybe most likely well wretchedness the resolution.

The directorate for spiritual foundations, share of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, acknowledged the location was as soon as being transferred to one amongst its foundations.

Istanbul Municipality criticised what it acknowledged was as soon as a speedily resolution by President Tayyip Erdogan’s government which was as soon as taken “to conclude a project to turn the sq. into a green an graceful location again”.

It plans to launch a honest job in opposition to the resolution, it acknowledged in a enlighten on Saturday.

Eight years ago, a total bunch of hundreds of different folks marched in Istanbul and across Turkey in opposition to plans to redevelop the central Istanbul park, posing a severe wretchedness to then-top minister Erdogan.

Plans licensed by Erdogan to designate a duplicate Ottoman barracks within the central metropolis sq. had been abandoned after months of demonstrations. Nonetheless in 2016, Erdogan acknowledged he remained obvious to “reclaim our historic previous” by building there.

Erdogan’s AK Celebration (AKP) has held strength nationally since 2002. The AKP and its Islamist predecessors ran the municipality for 25 years, from when Erdogan was as soon as elected mayor in 1994 until 2019.