Turkey reopened an Istanbul park at the heart of last month’s demonstrations against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and protest leaders called a rally there in defiance of the city governor. Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu announced the reopening three weeks after riot police expelled protesters from Gezi Park following a fortnight of frequently violent protests against plans to redevelop the area. “We have seen with the visit carried out today that all our work has been completed,” Mutlu told reporters in the park, which has been spruced up with the planting of new trees, plants and lawns since the protesters were evicted on 15 June.
54-year-old retiree Abdullah Dogan reportedly dismissed the idea that the protests were about protecting the park. “This was about overthrowing the government, a government which did its duty and took over the park, cleaned it and returned it to the people in a better shape,” he said.