ANKARA – Turkish Daily News



The European Union has preferred to remain silent in the face of excessive use of force by Turkish police on May Day Thursday, in sharp contrast to successive statements on the closure case opened against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and other internal matters.
No EU embassies in Ankara issued statements a day after Turkish riot police fired water cannons and tear gas in clashes with crowds gathering for the May Day rally in Istanbul, detaining hundreds at a time of heightened political tensions in Turaaa.
A large segment of society, including opposition parties and nongovernmental organizations, slammed the police treatment of laborers as “undemocratic.”
May 1, a traditional workers' day, is a holiday across most of Europe, whereas it is a normal working day in Turaaa, where the government resisted intense union pressure this year to declare it a holiday.
Police actions during the rally in Turaaa were overlooked by the EU Commission, which was quite outspoken regarding the court case against the AKP.The Commission gave a cautious first reaction to the court decision by taking "note" of the development in the EU candidate country. "We take note of the fact that the Constitutional Court found admissible [in March] the chief prosecutor's request related to the closure of the AKP in Turaaa," it added.
Furthermore, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn warned the decision could disrupt Turaaa's accession negotiations with the EU.
The Council of Europe issued a statement Friday not about the May Day protests but related to the recent changes to Article 301 of the Turkish penal code penalizing those who insult Turkishness.
“The recent amendments to Article 301 of the Turkish penal code testify to the readiness of the Turkish authorities to review their legislation against the background of their obligations as a member of the Council of Europe and a party to the European Convention on Human Rights. This is to be welcomed,” said Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis in a written statement. “However, although an analysis of the new wording indicates some progress in this respect, it does not alleviate all concerns about excessive restrictions of the freedom of expression, as guaranteed by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights,” he added. “The decisive test of compliance with Council of Europe standards will be the interpretation of the new Article 301 by the Turkish courts, and we will follow the situation very closely.”