Sunday, April 8, 2012

55 Students Taken into Custody while Protesting President Gul

According to the daily Birgun, on april 6th 2012, student members of the Turkish Communist Party, Student Collectives and Youth Opposition gathered in Kocaeli University campus to protest President Abdullah Gul who was giving a visit to the university. The police, who had taken extreme security measures around the campus blockaded the student group gathered at door B of the university.

The students who carried placards reading "We don't want Gul at our university" chanted slogans to protest Gul's visit. Then, the police sprayed pepper gas and pressured water on the students. While the police took some of the students into custody the remaining students locked themselves in the school cafeteria. The police then went on and took those students in the cafeteria into custody as well. After about 55 students were taken into custody a group of students started a sit-in protest in front of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The police besieged these students as well. After having been forced to get on buses the students were taken by the police to Seka Public Hospital for health control.

To read the report in Turkish visit Birgun