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Connect the World
Turkish Police Back Off, Protests Become Peaceful; Massive Floods Engulf Central Europe; Judge Admonishes Media In Oscar Pistorius Case
Aired June 04, 2013 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Live from Istanbul, I'm Becky Anderson where thousands of protesters refuse to go home despite an apology from the deputy prime minister.
Plus, some waters rise, Germany sends in troops to help secure devastated towns.
And marking a royal milestone, Queen Elizabeth celebrates 60 years since her coronation.
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to a special edition of Connect the World. The Turkish government says, and I quote, it has learned its lesson, offering an apology of sorts after days of widespread protests.
Now, it wasn't enough to keep demonstrators off the streets today. Thousands are gathered once again in Istanbul, in Taksim Square below me and in other cities across the country their ranks boosted by trade unions on strike in solidarity.
But unlike previous days, we haven't seen any violent clashes, at least not here in Istanbul, with security forces. A police crackdown on peaceful protesters last Friday, of course, triggered the mass outrage.
Well, today, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister offered a qualified apology.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BULENT ARINC, TURKISH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The excessive use of force against those who acted with environmental consciousness was wrong and unjust. And I apologize for that to these citizens. But I don't think we owe an apology to those who caused destruction on the streets and who interfered with people's freedoms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, as you would imagine, we are covering this from all angles for you tonight. Nick Paton Walsh is live in the capital Ankara. And with me here in Istanbul is Ivan Watson. And Ivan, let's start with you. You've just come up from Taksim Square. There are thousands of people out on the square tonight. What's the mood?
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's really festive. I mean, I've never seen a scene like this really in Istanbul before where the authorities are typically rather suspicious of uncontrolled gatherings of people. There are also some really strange little small political parties. There are anarchists and leftist groups.
But then you also have Kamalists. They support the secular founder of Turkey. And Kurdish nationalists all mixed up in a lot of unaffiliated people. And they just seem to be having a good time, and many of them are wearing what has become the unofficial symbol of this protest movement, the surgical mask, or gas mask, that has been a kind of protection against that ubiquitous tear gas which has been used so much by the Turkish police.
These protests, of course, have widened from what was a demonstration after a peaceful sit-in protest where we know on Friday protesters were tear gassed. To and extension whereby you see signs and people shouting, "resign Tayyip" the prime minister here.
We haven't seen his supporters on the streets, but I know that you've been to an area very close to here where there are many, many people who are vocal about the prime minister.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. And it's important to keep in mind that while we've seen these very dramatic scenes of people out in the streets and clashing with police, the Turkish prime minister is democratically elected. He won 50 percent of the vote in 2011. And he has been reminding the population in Turkey about this quote, unquote silent majority.
So we went to Kasimpasha (ph), it's, I don't know, two kilometers as the crow flies from here. It's his home neighborhood. And there the people say Erdogan is still our man. And these demonstrators they are a minority. They don't count. We don't take them seriously.
And in fact many of them insult them and say these guys have been burning cars and committing acts of vandalism and spray painting and breaking business shop windows and things like that. They're trouble makers.
ANDERSON: Does the deputy prime minister speak for the prime minister, do you think? We haven't heard from Erdogan since he left Turkey on Monday for a trip to North Africa. We've heard a sort of conciliatory tone from the deputy prime minister, and indeed from the president.
Do you sense a schism at the top of this government?
WATSON: Schism, that may be too strong a word perhaps. Good cop, bad cop. And Erdogan grew to power because he's such a tough guy from that neighborhood, Kasimpasha (ph), who one resident compared to Texas, all right. So, he's the tough talking street guy. But there are other men in his party, like deputy prime minister who has a much softer tough. And I think they recognize that's what you need right now to calm the tension on the streets and bring an end to this very bizarre cycle of violence that I've never seen in 10 years in Turkey.
ANDERSON: You certainly describe Taksim Square at least tonight as calm, though.
WATSON: Absolutely. And that has been one big accomplishment. By pulling the riot police out -- and mind you, they would gas any gathering of more than 50 people here on Friday and Saturday -- by pulling that away, that has given a space to people to just, I don't know, exercise, talk about whatever issue is on their mind. And you have, again, all sort of different kinds of people there. It really is almost a bizarre kind of alternative festival right now.
ANDERSON: All right. Thank you for that for the time being. We're going to hear from Ivan a little later in the show.
Let's get to Ankara where things haven't been perhaps as calm as they have here in Istanbul. Nick Paton Walsh is standing by -- Nick.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, we've seen most -- Ivan described a change in police tactics today, which really results in calm from much of the day. No tear gas used at all. Many of the protesters incredibly young, 15, 16-year-old girls at some stage often being talked to by police, told not to go any further, and an agreement that you don't throw rocks, we won't tear gas you back. As the day drew by, some groups tried to move into the square behind me here, the central square here in Ankara, blocked by riot police. And as the evening progressed on, we've now seen a key group of thousands down the side road here, blocked off by four or five police armored vehicles with water cannons and armored -- riot police to calm. Not wearing their gas masks or helmet.
A different atmosphere.
Occasionally chanting or flare up demanding that the prime minister resign, the occasion drum will bang. And they aren't there in significant number, but the atmosphere has changed. Because there's not tear gas, there isn't this desire for protesters necessarily fight back when they see that gas often cause injuries amongst their crowd.
So that change so far this evening.
But as the rain dissipates and the storm moves back, we just don't quite know how it will resolve itself in the street behind me, Becky.
ANDERSON: All right. Thank you very much indeed for that. Nick Paton Walsh is in Ankara for you this evening.
Let's get some perspective on what has been a quite unprecedented period over the past week here in Turkey. And as I say, not just in Istanbul, not just in Ankara, but in some 67 provinces around the country. I'm joined now by Ersin Kalaycioglu. I think I'm pronouncing your name. There you go, nearly correctly, sir.
Come in and join me -- come in and join me tonight.
Professor of political sciences at Sabanci University.
Fairly peaceful in Istanbul tonight. Nick Paton Walsh reporting fairly peaceful on the streets, at least, of Ankara. We're seeing Twitter feeds, though, that suggest there are protests in many, many other cities across the country.
How do you read things here at present?
ERSIN KALAYCIOGLU, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCES, SABANCI UNIVERSITY: Well, it's unprecedented. We've never had anything of the sort. Coming here, I had to go around barricades of many sorts. And that's a first, because this is the downtown assemble, I've never seen this place so quiet before. And so much color from the rest of the country.
But what you observe here is not any particular group, segment, sector or community, it's just across the board all sorts of people, all ages, all walks of life. And this is a first.
ANDERSON: Are you surprised the prime minister left the country on Monday?
KALAYCIOGLU: I'm not, but to a certain extent probably something that has been considered earlier on that this will give a breathing space for the government, because he has not taken any step back so far. And that's one of the main reasons why we are still having so many people out here in a jubiliant form, but they're not -- they're apprehensive about it.
ANDERSON: Nothing from Erdogan, but qualify the apology from the deputy prime minister today.
KALAYCIOGLU: But do they count? That's the problem.
ANDERSON: Do they?
KALAYCIOGLU: In the minds of these people, no. There is a huge trust problem. He has accumulated so much power just underneath his feet, he has become sort of something like an elected king in Turkey.
ANDERSON: This isn't any longer a functioning democracy, is that what you're telling me.
KALAYCIOGLU: Not that far, but Turkey has been democratizing. We've been categorized as a hybrid regime, not necessarily a democracy. And this is not necessarily helping us to democratize.
ANDERSON: People are drawing analogies here to the Arab Spring across North Africa and other countries. When you hear Tayyip resign, being shouted by people on the streets and shoulder to shoulder against fascism, when you hear one of the biggest unions come out today calling for the end of the fascism of Erdogan's governing party, for our viewers purposes, are we looking at a new spring, a new Arab spring here?
KALAYCIOGLU: Not to that extent, but the demands here of course for more freedom of expression on the one hand, and also to be taken seriously.
These people want to be treated as stakeholders.
ANDERSON: How will that happen, though? Will anyone in any way concede to those...
KALAYCIOGLU: So far there's no indication that he personally took the message. He's been asking today from Morocco what the message happens to be. The message is that these people do not want to be treated as enemies, but as stakeholders and taken seriously. And that their demands be heard and that they don't want to be repressed by the police or anybody else for that matter and they just want to be taken as, you know, citizens of this country seriously.
ANDERSON: So the qualified apology you don't think will work?
KALAYCIOGLU: Qualified apology by itself, if it had come from Erdogan himself might have worked a little bit, but they want more than that, they want tangible results such as that he will negotiate turning this little park into a former barrack (ph) of some sort.
ANDERSON: And they're asking for more than that, we're talking about freedom of speech, we're talking about various other things which we will discuss as we move through this hour for the time being. Sir, thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Well, live from Istanbul, we want to hear from you. In the next 40 minutes or so here on Connect the World, do join the conversation. Tweet me @BeckyCNN. That's @BeckyCNN. You're thoughts, wherever you are watching in the world. Your thoughts this evening, @BeckyCNN, or head to Facebook to join the conversation -- Facebook.com/CNNconnect.
We're live in Istanbul in Turkey for you here on Connect the World on CNN this evening.
Still to come on this special edition, from Istanbul, since Turkey's government opposed dissent? We'll ask one of the leaders of the ruling party's youth division.
And Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius makes a brief appearance in court as the judge lashes out at the media. Robyn Curnow will have the very latest for you.
And in the worst floods seen in over the decade, the latest on the rising waters across Central Europe.
All that and much more when the show continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: A very warm welcome back. We are live in Istanbul for you, this is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson just above Taksim Square where tonight there are vocal protests once again, but the mood has got to be said -- I could describe this as perhaps more carnival like than violent. No sign of security and police on the streets here tonight.
We're going to do more on this story at the bottom of the hour.
Let me, though, update you first on the other news headlines today. And the French foreign minister says independent tests now show sarin nerve gas has been used, and I quote, several times and in a localized manner during the two year conflict in Syria.
(BEIGN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURENT FABIUS, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We have no doubt that gases have been used. Why? Because on the one hand your colleagues from Lamont (ph) gave us samples that we had tested. And on the other hand, we went up the chain of custody and we also had other samples tested. And the conclusion of the laboratory is clear, there is sarin gas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, this comes on the heels of a report from UN human rights investigators that both government forces and rebels may have used chemical weapons.
Well, relatives of workers who were killed in a factory fire in China have scuffled with police. This is in the northeastern part of the country, at least 119 people were killed and 70 others were injured when the police -- when -- sorry, when fire broke out at a chicken processing plant. State run media says it may have been caused by an ammonia explosion.
CNN's Nic Robertson has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Overcome by grief, a mother lying in the road, her only child is dead where so many lost their lives at this industrial poultry farm. There is anguish and anger.
As this lady tells us, her aunt is still missing. A policeman shuts us down.
We are told to move away from the crowd.
Across the road, another relative of a victim of the chicken farm fire is manhandled away from us. This lady shouts at him not to leave, but to tell reporters the truth. When he does go, she cries out, "my sister-in- law died right there. I have nothing to fear now. They died such a horrible death because the door was shut."
Another relative quietly tells us, workers couldn't get out, adding they'd complained about the doors before.
At the nearby hospital, more anxious relatives scrutinize a list of survivors. Inside, police control the corridor to the injured, relatives huddle nearby.
"My cousin only just got out alive," this lady tells us. "She went to one door. It was locked. She went to another and just managed to get her arm out through a tiny hole before she was overcome and collapsed."
As we wait, this woman wheeled off for surgery. She tells us she can barely talk, her jaw, arm and leg were damaged jumping from a window.
Meanwhile, close to the farm, a scuffle between families and police.
(on camera): The crowds have been growing through the morning, passions are rising, tempers are flaring. And it's now developed into a sort of a standoff with the police line. And the people here anxious to know about their relatives kept back from the chicken factory.
(voice-over): When we talked to this man, the reason for so much anger becomes clearer.
Wang Shu-Feng's (ph) wife is missing. He tells us she went to work at 4:00 am and has heard no news since.
Everyone is trying to add their story, but he persists.
"No one liked working there," he says. "16 hour days, not enough toilet breaks. No holidays. For a little over $300 a month."
Left with only anguish and no answers, anger is rising, bitter authorities are blocking them rather than finding their loved ones.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Mishazi, Chian.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, a South African judge has delayed hearing in Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius's murder case for two months. Now the prosecution has quested the delay to give the investigation more time. The judge also warning that any media misconduct could delay the process even further.
Robyn Curnow has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oscar Pistorius emerged out of his car facing the onslaught of the world's media. Police clearing a path for him into the courthouse. And inside the courtroom, another media frenzy. For the first time, the world is seeing Pistorius since his February bail hearing.
In the courtroom, he was surrounded by his family. Pistorius was charged by the police with premeditated murder for the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. But he denies the charge. Pistorius says it was a mistake, a tragic accident that he thought an intruder was in his home.
At the hearing which lasted less than 15 minutes, proceedings were postponed because the state said it needs more time to investigate.
KELLY PHELPS, LEGAL ANALYST: The postponement can indicate one of two things. It will either be an indication that the prosecutors are losing a bit of confidence in the basis of their case. Alternatively, it could be an indication that the strength with which they came out of the gate at the bail hearing was actually a strategic ploy, that they didn't necessarily know if they had evidence for that, but they were hoping to flesh out the details of his defense.
CURNOW: Media interest also has the potential to complicate this legal process.
Inside the courtroom, the magistrate warned about this case becoming a trial by media after photographs of the alleged crime scene were leaked to the press last week. He said that this kind of action could, in his words, jeopardize the sanctity of justice. And he accused the prosecuting authority and the police to take such security breaches seriously.
The next time Pistorius appears in this court is on August 19, a trial date should be set and he'll be given the opportunity to plead guilty or not guilty to the charges against him.
A day of legal procedure, but also August 19 is Reeva Steenkamp's birthday. She would have been 30.
Robyn Curnow, CNN, Pretoria Magistrate's Court, South Africa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Live from Istanbul, this is a special edition of Connect the World. Coming up, how the turmoil in Turkey has affected and continues to affect the markets here. One of the most successful emerging market economies, of course.
First, though, we want an update on the extreme flooding soaking central Europe. We'll have a live weather report coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, I'm Becky Anderson live from Istanbul. The very latest on the protest across the country. Coming up shortly first, I want to get you some news on weather in Europe which has been, quite frankly, terrible. Surging flood waters continue to inundate large swaths of Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria on Tuesday. The deluge forcing mass evacuations in low lying areas.
In the Czech Republic, swaths of suburban Prague was submerged, but metal barriers along the Vltava River shielded the historic center.
Meanwhile in Germany, chancellor Angela Merkel visited the flooded city of Passau where water levels passed a 500-year-old record. She promised $130 million in emergency aid for flood ravaged areas.
And large parts of Meissen, a town on the banks of the Elbe River have also been overwhelmed after flood defenses were breached.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERANTIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Meissen itself is now under an evacuation order. And what's going on is that rescue workers are evacuating people using boats. They're going through the city, they're telling everybody leave and hoping that people actually come along, because apparently some people are refusing.
Now it's anybody's guess how long that is going to take, however, the people are being warned that the water continues to rise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: So how long will it take for these waters to die down? How long with this weather continue?
Jenny Harrison is at the International Weather Center for you. Jen, these scenes are absolutely horrific, aren't they? How long is this going to last?
JENNY HARRISON, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: I know. Well, the good thing, really, in terms of the actual weather conditions, Becky, is that the worst really has moved away. But it's going to take awhile for these flood waters to actually recede.
Now there's two things going on. First of all, we're talking first of all about Prague. And of course this is the Vltava River. And it actually flows north. And it pushes up into the Elbe River. That, then, pushes up into Germany and eventually it flows out northwards into the North Sea.
This is just a huge area that was impacted by the rain, really, from Saturday through Monday. And of course you can see by the darker shading where we saw the heaviest amount of rain. 150 millimeters more than that, very, very easily fell in some of these areas. The worst hit, the southeast of Germany, Baravia, Austria, Switzerland and also these western sections of the Czech Republic.
The two big rivers you can see here. We've got the Rhine and also the Danube showing to you here.
So we're concerned about the flooding that's going to take place north as it continues to press, but also the Danube in the southeast.
This is what the setup was. It's a very, very slow moving air of low pressure. These huge downpours in a very big area. It has since improved. We've got some pretty good conditions there now. And of course such a vital areas these rivers.
So it has suspended a huge amount of trade, the shipping, the tourism industry as well. And this is the Danube, the Rhine, and as I say the Vltava River.
But still preparations underway in Prague and the Czech Republic because of the river, the threat for it cresting and more flooding taking place, thousands of sandbags have been produced.
Then I mentioned the Danube. Now in Vienna in Austria, we could see some flooding here, also in Bratislava in Slovakia. But, again, the flood defense is pretty good, certainly in Vienna in Austria.
This is the system that was responsible. It has moved off toward the east. But we could, of course, still see some more rain, certainly impacting the Danube as we go through the next couple of days. In fact, we're getting you can see that flareup there, afternoon and evening thunderstorms, not huge amounts actually coming down, but the concern, as I say, is going to be the cresting of the rivers the Danube and also the Elbe and then of course how long as you say, Becky. And to be honest, it's going to take several days, but nobody really knows how long it will be before those rivers really do begin to recede and the flood waters recede properly.
ANDERSON: Soggy, miserable conditions. Jen, thank you for that.
Your weather there.
Your latest world news headlines are just ahead as you would imagine here on CNN at the bottom of the hour. Plus, understanding a polarizing figure. What is Turkey's prime minister really like? Who is he? Well, we'll ask one of the leaders of his party's youth division joining me here live in Istanbul.
Also, she's run some of the world's most celebrated publications, but this week's Leading Woman says success isn't always guaranteed. Her advice, be wary of the unknown.
And returning to the Abbey 60 years on, Queen Elizabeth II marks a very special anniversary.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: This is CNN and CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Becky Anderson live in Istanbul. The headlines this hour.
An apology by the Turkish government --
(AUDIO GAP)
ANDERSON: -- protesters at home. Thousands fill squares at Istanbul and Ankara and in other cities across the country again today, demanding political change. Turkish deputy prime minister says last week's police crackdown on peaceful protesters was wrong and the government has, and I quote, "learned its lesson."
The French government says tests show sarin nerve gas has been used in Syria several times, at least once by the government. A recent UN human rights reports said both government forces and rebels may have used chemical weapons.
Surging floodwaters are still covering large areas of Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria. As Germany braces for more flooding, Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised $130 million in emergency aid to affected regions.
And Queen Elizabeth marked the 60th anniversary of her coronation today with a service at Westminster Abbey in London. She was joined by 2,000 guests, including members of the royal family and the British government. The queen acceded to the throne in 1952, but her formal coronation took place the following year.
Well, those are your headlines this hour. You're watching a special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD, as I said, live tonight from Istanbul for you. We're covering the biggest challenge yet to the rule of the prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his ten-year rule, a decade in power.
Protesters once again filling Taksim Square in Istanbul, unmoved by the deputy prime minister's apology. Earlier, many protesters say they need to hear that apology from the prime minister himself.
Today's protests have been relatively peaceful, unlike the past few days, with no major confrontations reported. Well, in a moment, I'm going to get some political reaction from my guest tonight, who is one of the leaders of the AKP party's Istanbul Youth Movement, that being the party of the prime minister.
First I want to focus on a figure at the center of these demonstrations, at the center of this anger, the Turkish prime minister himself. A kind of negative myth-making, if you like, has started to form around Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We've been hearing phrases about the whiff of hubris and the dictates of arrogance.
With Turkey in turmoil, Mr. Erdogan isn't even at home. He's in the middle of a four-day trip in North Africa. CNN's Ivan Watson takes a closer look at the man who is becoming quite a most controversial politician.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's perhaps the most powerful and popular politician Turkey has seen in generations. But Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may also be the most polarizing.
Among his accomplishments in office, overseeing a decade of unprecedented economic growth in Turkey. His political reforms have brought Turkey more in line with the European Union. Erdogan is an important ally of the United States and President Obama, and a key political player in efforts to resolve the continuing crisis in Syria.
But now, he faces the biggest protest movement at home since he was elected more than ten years ago. Critics say this is the result of Erdogan's steady accumulation of political power and his intolerance of dissent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only thing that we want to be is that we don't want ATP, we don't want Tayyip Erdogan, and we want him resigned.
WATSON: Under Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party, Turkey lifted curbs on public expression of religion, including one strict limit on women wearing Islamic-style head scarves. Erdogan reduced the political influence of Turkey's military, self-appointed guardians of the country's secularism. And he's made significant progress in ending the 30- year guerrilla war with Kurdish separatists.
While Erdogan has strong support from Turkey's culturally conservative voters, he has a growing number of opponents, including many journalists who say press freedoms in Turkey have declined under Erdogan's rule.
His critics call him authoritarian. Some even say he's becoming more like a dictator. The prime minister rejects all talk of a Turkish Spring.
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRIME MINISTER OF TURKEY (through translator): They say Tayyip Erdogan is a dictator. I have nothing to say if they call the person who has committed himself to serving his nation a dictator.
WATSON: With his term set to end next year, Erdogan has repeatedly announced plans to transform the country's political system from a prime ministerial form of government to a more powerful presidential system, with himself as the head of state.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: All right. Well, let's bring in my guest tonight, Abdulkadir Karagoz, who is the vice chair of the AKP Party's Istanbul Youth Branch, joining me here live in the Istanbul bureau. Authoritarian, aggressive, these are the lines that we're hearing about he prime minister tonight. "Tayyip resign," there are posters all over town, all over other cities.
And you hear the deputy prime minister apologizing for the heavy- handed nature of the police and security forces last week. You hear no apology from the prime minister, who is away. You know this man. Why no apology from him, and is there a rift in this party now?
ABDULKADIR KARAGOZ, VICE CHAIRMAN, AKP ISTANBUL YOUTH BRANCH: No, actually. First of all, thanks for having me here for giving to everybody. I think there is no differences between -- among them. Because there is a duty -- the prime minister, his calls are the government's calls. So, we are just separating the protesters. One is peaceful activists, and other is vandalists.
ANDERSON: Do you have any sympathies for the --
KARAGOZ: Of course! Of course!
ANDERSON: -- demands of the protesters?
KARAGOZ: We are happy because they're increasing their voice for the trees. That's good. But the problem is vandalists. They're against laws. They're against -- they're anti-democratic --
ANDERSON: OK, let me just explain for our viewers who may not quite understand your accent, although your English is very good, you're saying that you have sympathies for those who were protesting peacefully about the --
KARAGOZ: Exactly.
ANDERSON: -- the square --
KARAGOZ: Exactly, they're --
ANDERSON: -- and about the fact that these trees were to be cut down, and that's another question to you: what do we know about the project that has sparked all of this protest and demonstrations? Will the park continue to be here, or will it be knocked down?
KARAGOZ: We also support those protesters who are defining themselves in a democratic way, but we just reflect the vandalists. In Turkey --
ANDERSON: Right. The vandals.
KARAGOZ: Exactly.
ANDERSON: All right.
KARAGOZ: In Turkey we are talking about democracy. The last ten years, we have elected seven -- seven elections. So, in every election we increase our voice.
ANDERSON: All right, this would be AKP. Let me just -- let me just hear for our viewers' sake from one of the protesters that we spoke to earlier on in the square. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANJI ATYLAY, PROTESTER: Later, everybody understood, it's not about the park, because now it's been ten years with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in this country, and OK, he got 50 percent of the votes.
But there is another 50 percent of the country, and everybody's had enough because he thinks about -- he cares about how many children we are going to make, he cares about what are we going to drink, he cares about in the Metro stations if we are going to hug our girlfriend if we are going to kiss each other. He's like a -- he's talking like a father.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: There are allegations of a lack of freedom of speech, a lack of democracy in this country. You speak to people on the streets here who say that they just feel claustrophobic under the administration of the Prime Minister Erdogan.
By no means are we suggesting that there isn't support, and we know we just haven't seen an awful lot of AKP party supporters on the streets. The prime minister himself has said that he could mobilize support if he wanted to.
Last question to you: where do you see these protests going from here, and what's the future for Turkey?
KARAGOZ: I think in Turkey there is a lack of opposition party because their party has really lost ten years, and as you know, the last 60 years in Turkey, there's s democracy. There's fair elections, there's equality, there's secularism. We are a member of the European Union, we are member of the Security Council --
ANDERSON: They're not a member of the European Union.
KARAGOZ: We are negotiating --
ANDERSON: Right.
KARAGOZ: -- to be. So, we are talking about democracy. These are the effects of democracy. So, we also sympathize with them, as I told you before. But in Turkey, democracy ways are open. If you want to protest, you can go to the vote.
So, our Prime Minister Erdogan comes with votes, not in the streets. I think this is the same in the -- America, for the Occupy Wall Street case, for England, for Italy. Those are not the Spring. But why you are calling here as a Spring?
Those are not the majority. Those are just a minority of the public. But also, we respect them. We save their rights. But the opposition party do not save their rights, because they try to fight their rights in the streets.
ANDERSON: Yes, OK. And you said with vandalism.
KARAGOZ: But not with the support.
ANDERSON: Right. OK.
KARAGOZ: Talk to the politics and play the games according to the rules.
ANDERSON: OK. We thank you very much, indeed, for joining us --
KARAGOZ: Never can.
ANDERSON: -- this evening, the voice -- one of the few voices we've heard from the government party here, AKP. And we're going to take a look for you at how all of this is reflected on the markets, because the market mood often a good indicator of what's been going on in a country.
The stock market gaining about 5 percent. There had been a significant fall in this market earlier on in the week. The markets, though, rebounding Tuesday, down more than 10 percent Monday, up 5 percent today.
Over the past 12 months, you've got to remember, Turkey's benchmark index is up more than 47 percent, so I think it would be tough to suggest that there has been a significant impact on assets in Turkey. But if the future is one of demonstrations, of course, and uncertainty, that is something that traders and marketeers dislike. So, watch this space for that. A rise, though, on the Turkish market today.
Live from Istanbul, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, this is CNN. We're going to have much more from Turkey in just a moment, but I want to step back from the story just for the time being. Coming up, her name is one of the most recognizable in the media world. We sit down with the woman at the helm of the "Daily Beast" and "Newsweek."
And Britain's second-longest-serving monarch celebrates another milestone. Coming up shortly, we'll tell you about a very special anniversary for Queen Elizabeth II.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: She's been in charge of some of the world's most widely- read print magazines, and now she runs two digital publications. This week on leading women, Isha Sesay sits down with Tina Brown, editor-in-chief of "Newsweek Global" as it's known these days, and "The Daily Beast" for a conversation on her career and her commitment to women's issues.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the media world, Tina Brown's name is one of the most recognizable. In a journalism career spanning 30-plus years, she's been at the helm of some of the most celebrated publications: "Vanity Fair," "The New Yorker," experiencing huge career highs and lows, too, such as when her creation "Talk" magazine folded in 2002 in less than three years.
TINA BROWN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "NEWSWEEK GLOBAL" AND "THE DAILY BEAST": I launched "Talk" magazine without enough business information about, in a sense, the market I was going into and so on, and that didn't work, and that was very, very painful, because you can really fall on your face, which is what happened to me.
SESAY: In her current role, she has another big platform.
SESAY (on camera): You launched "The Daily Beast" in 2008. Tell me about this company and what your role of editor-in-chief actually entails.
BROWN: Well, I oversee both "The Daily Beast" and "Newsweek Global," as we're calling it now, the new digital version of "Newsweek." And we are a digital company that is very much alert to the news, which breaks news, which makes news, which has a take on the news.
SESAY (voice-over): And Brown has grown her reach beyond the print and digital media. Four years ago, she took on one of her most ambitious endeavors.
(PEOPLE SHOUTING)
SESAY: She launched the Women in the World summit, a mega-gathering that brings women and A-list celebrities together to shed light on global issues affecting women.
BROWN: It's wonderful when women of power and influence wish to bring their spotlight, if you like, to women who you've never heard of, and whose stories we must hear.
We want to welcome you all to the fourth annual Women in the World Summit.
(APPLAUSE)
SESAY: She enlists some powerful allies to inspire and encourage. Actress Angelina Jolie highlights the story of Malala, a young Pakistani girl shot in the head last year simply for getting an education.
ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS: In a brutal attempt to silence her voice, it grew louder, and she more resolute.
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE: Fighting to give women and girls a fighting chance, this is a core imperative.
SESAY: When you were growing up in England, what were your dreams?
BROWN: Well, my dream was to come and live in America --
SESAY: It was?
BROWN: -- and be an editor. Yes. And I was enthralled by the old editions of the 1920s "Vanity Fair" and the old editions of "The New Yorker" in the 30s. That was my dream then.
And I guess if I'd known then that I would indeed be living in New York, that I would indeed be introducing Hillary Clinton at the -- Women of the World summit, those are the things, I guess, that I would never have imagined could happen. Well, perhaps I dreamt, but I never thought it would. So, I am lucky in that regard, and I do realize that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Coming up next here on CNN, as you would expect, with great pomp and ceremony, Britain's Queen Elizabeth marks a very special day. We've got a look at the glorious celebration in London.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. Britain is celebrating a royal occasion today. It's a landmark, 60 years since Queen Elizabeth's coronation, the monarch joined by around 2,000 guests today at a service at Westminster Abbey in London. That's where Elizabeth was crowned back in 1953. And the crown she put on that day was shown once again. CNN's Matthew Chance has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a jubilant event marking the second-longest reign in British history. Queen Elizabeth was crowned here at Westminster Abbey in 1953. She was joined today in celebration by hundreds of guests, including more than 20 members of the royal family.
JUSTIN WELBY, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY: Today we celebrate 60 years since that moment, 60 years of commitment.
CHANCE: Among them was a frail-looking Duke of Edinburgh, the queen's 92-year-old husband. He'd canceled a recent engagement because of ill health, but appeared determined to be here.
The queen's coronation 60 years ago was a dazzling spectacle, the first service to be televised. The young 27-year-old queen had practiced wearing her State Crown of St. Edward for weeks before.
Today, that crown was back on display, the first time it's left the heavily-guarded Tower of London for 60 years.
A number of people who witnessed the 1953 event were also invited back, including one chorister who sang at the coronation as a boy, and again this time as an old man.
CHANCE (on camera): Sixty years on, the country's changed a great deal, the world has changed a great deal --
CECIL IRWIN, CHORISTER: Yes.
CHANCE: Do you think the monarchy's still relevant?
IRWIN: Yes, I do. I think it's a wonderful example of continuity and stability. And as the sermon said, just service the queen has put in unwaveringly all those years. Absolutely remarkable.
CHANCE (voice-over): But this was also an opportunity to glimpse the future of the British crown. Next to the queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles and Camilla. He's expected to crowned himself one day.
And of course, William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the first time the royal couple have appeared publicly at Westminster Abbey since they were married there two years ago. Their child, expected next month, will be third in line to the throne.
Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: All right, you're watching a live edition of CONNECT THE WORLD from Istanbul this evening. Behind me, thousands of people still in Taksim Square demanding political change in this country, thousands of others in cities across the country, peaceful demonstrations, though, it must be said, in most towns and cities here in Turkey.
An apology by the Turkish government isn't keeping protesters at home by any stretch of the imagination. Turkey's deputy prime minister says last week's police crackdown on what was a peaceful sit-in and demonstration in the center of this square, here, was wrong, and the government has "learned its lesson."
Some final analysis for you tonight, your Istanbul correspondent, Ivan Watson, joining me once again. I know that you made a point at the beginning of this show that we haven't heard a lot of voice in support of the prime minister here on the streets. It's his opposition, fractious as it is, that we've heard from over the past week or so. I know you spoke to some of the prime minister's supporters. What did they say?
WATSON: That's right, the opposition clearly this outpouring that has emerged has really seized the narrative for the past couple of days, but it's important to hear from these more silent people who are sitting at home and have not come out to the streets.
And the prime minister himself has threatened -- suggested he could bring them out, and that would dramatically change the scene here. Let's take a listen to what some of them had to say to me today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We trust this government, our party, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We trust too much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He's a man's man. Some people may not like him, but most importantly, we love him a lot because he's a Muslim Turk. We don't take the protesters seriously because they are the minority. We are already the owners of this country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Flipping over police cars, breaking windows, hurting small businesses. That's not a demonstration. We don't accept a demonstration. These people have stolen from our children's future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Clearly supporters out there. The opposition, the frustration has grown, then we have fireworks going off here.
(FIREWORKS EXPLODING)
ANDERSON: And they are fireworks, believe me.
WATSON: They are fireworks. And a roar --
ANDERSON: Celebration.
(LAUGHTER)
WATSON: -- and a roar of celebration from the crowd. This really does feel like a counter-culture festival sometimes here. But there are serious consequences. One of the biggest unions of labor union federations has gone on strike now. That's pretty serious, and it can have serious consequences for the economy.
And -- but again, I have to say, I've lived in this town for ten years, and I've never seen something that's quite -- just sums up the funky counter-culture of Istanbul more than Taksim did on an ordinary weekend night. This is really the entertainment capital of the city.
But without the secret police and the riot police hovering over everybody's shoulders, it's really unique, the atmosphere right now.
ANDERSON: Yes, and it's got to be said, I was actually surprised when I arrived here today to see that there wasn't a huge security operation here, and the promises certainly from the security forces here is that they won't interfere with these demonstrations unless they get ugly. Yes.
WATSON: Absolutely.
ANDERSON: All right. Ivan, thank you very much --
WATSON: Thank you.
ANDERSON: -- indeed. That's it for this special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson, thank you once again for joining us. Stay with CNN, of course. The news continues as ever. Good night.
END
