Turkey: thousands gathered for the anti-government rallies after Ankara deadly twin blasts

Massive anti-government protests in Turkey after Ankara
twin blasts
(Image: Sputnik News)

Thousands of people have gathered in Turkey's biggest cities including the capital Ankara and the city of Istanbul after the deadly twin blast that occurred in Ankara on Saturday and killed at least 97 people.

Protesters were mourning the victims of the bombing and condemning an attack, blaming the current government for it. The rallies later turned into massive anti-government protests that continued on Sunday and Monday as well, as tens of thousands of people have been marching in the center of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and other Turkish cities and protested against the rule of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.

The police maintained heave presence during the massive protests, standing nearby with the water cannons and tears gas, ready to use them in case of disorder.

Some protesters have been carrying the posters reading "The state is a killer", "we know the murderers" and others, according to the reports from the scene. Demonstrators accused the government of failing to grant security and blamed it for the responsibility for the attacks. In addition to that protesters were outraged at the reaction of the state and security forces at the aftermath of the bombing, when the police fired tear gas at the crowds and cordoned the area of an explosion, what prevented the ambulance cars from reaching the scene freely.

Hundreds of people have gathered on Monday, 12 October, in Istanbul for the mourning of several blast's victims who were from this city. People were also protesting against the current government and chanted anti-government slogans. The funeral in Istanbul were due to be attended by Selahattin Demirtas, leader of the opposition pro-Kurdish People's Democratic party (HDP) that was among the organizers of the Saturday rally in Ankara, where the blasts occurred. The party says it was the target of the bombing and blamed Erdogan's government for an attack. The situation remains tense in the country, as the protests continue.