Turkish government vows to restore order despite nationwide protests

The Turkish government has started a crackdown on organizations it accused of hijacking peaceful protests on iconic Taksim Square, with sweeping police operations against instigators and provocateurs. Turkish analysts believe the government is trying to root out violent groups from the peaceful protesters to maintain public order and safety. "The government feels it had better move in on groups associated with vandalism, violence and destruction as the public support to demonstrations has gone down significantly," Idris Gursoy, an Ankara-based political analyst, told Xinhua. He added that the basis for carrying on rallies evaporated when the government proposed to hold a referendum on the future of the Gezi Park. Nationwide protests started more than two weeks ago as an environmentalists' rally aiming to preserve Gezi Park adjacent to Taksim Square in Istanbul met fierce police crackdown, which triggered a wave of fiery opposition against the government's policies. Turkish police have detained hundreds of people suspected of involving in violent demonstrations and endangering public order and safety. In the meantime, the ruling Justice and Development Party renewed public confidence in two major rallies held over the weekend in Istanbul and Ankara, attended by hundreds of thousands. "By asserting that everything is under control and that the government will launch a probe into the incidents," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was trying to comfort his supporters, " said Mumtazer Turkone, political analyst at Fatih University in Istanbul. Turkone underlined that the Turkish prime minister's main message was to pacify the bubbling rage of the silent majority. In a sign of further deterrence, the Turkish gendarmerie was also deployed to quell protests. Moreover, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said Monday that the government may deploy military forces to end the ongoing protests if necessary. Lale Kemal, expert on military affairs in Turkey, questioned the wisdom of involving the Turkish army in civilian protests, saying that it "may further worsen the current turmoil."