Turkish police disperse demo at Syrian border
As mayor’s hunger strike continues, tear gas fired at crowd protesting the construction of a wall between the two countries
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
ISTANBUL — Police in southeastern Turkey fired tear gas at a crowd of demonstrators who were protesting the construction of a wall between Turkey and Syria.
The mayor of the border town of Nusaybin started a hunger strike Thursday in an effort to stop the development. Her actions prompted support from hundreds of locals who gathered at the site to protest the wall between Nusaybin and Qamishli in northern Syria.
Riot police intervened with tear gas to disperse the crowd. They also sprayed pressurized water into Syria to disperse children who threw objects across the border.
Turkey’s interior minister has said the structure is intended to protect citizens because of mines in the area.
The border area is heavily populated by Kurds, many with families on both sides of the frontier.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
The Times of Israel Community.