Turkish labor unions plan general strike in protest at bloody crackdown

By Daniel Arkin, Staff Writer, NBC News

06-17-2013

A pair of Turkey’s labor unions said Sunday that they will hold a general strike Monday after riot police raided an Istanbul park and public square, firing plumes of powerful tear gas and water cannons at anti-government demonstrators.

Turkish police detained 441 people in connection with clashes in Istanbul on Sunday, an official at the city's bar association told Reuters on Monday. And an official from the Ankara bar association said 56 people were detained in the capital. 

The Confederation of Public Workers’ Unions (KESK) and the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DISK) announced the day-long strike in a joint statement, Reuters reported.

“We had already taken a decision to go on strike if there was an intervention on the park. So tomorrow we will declare a strike for Monday,” Mustafa Turgut, a spokesman for KESK, said.

The workers’ walkout follows more than two weeks of bloody demonstrations against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling AK Party.

Protests Sunday put on display the rising tensions between Erdogan supporters and those demonstrating against him. Police continued to crackdown on Taksim Square, while Erdogan spoke to thousands of supporters just a few miles away.

FULL STORY: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/16/18988595-turkish-labo...