ANKARA, Turkey, July 2 (UPI) -- Foreign powers and the Jewish diaspora were the cause of unrest in the recent Gezi Park anti-government demonstrations, Turkey's deputy prime minister said.
Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay made the statements Monday during a visit to Kirikkale, the Cihan News Agency reported.
"There are some circles that are jealous of Turkey's growth. They are all uniting on one side, the Jewish diaspora. You saw the foreign media's attitude during the Gezi Park incidents, they bought it and started broadcasting immediately, without doing an evaluations of the [situation]," he said. He also blamed the "international media" accusing members of conspiracy and accusing them of triggering the unrest.
Gezi Park protests began in Istanbul May 31, opposing government plans to construct a shopping complex in the park. The demonstrations quickly morphed into nationwide protests against the government in response to the heavy-handed tactics used by police to disperse protesters. Four people were killed and some 7,000 injured in 20 days of unrest, statistics released by the Turkish Medical Association indicated.
