The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) defied a blanket ban on
demonstrations imposed across central Ankara ahead of the NATO summit,
leading anti-NATO protests in six cities on Saturday despite a heavy
police presence and mass detentions.
Hundreds of TKP members gathered in central Ankara at the time and place previously announced by the party, despite extraordinary security measures that had effectively placed parts of the capital under a de facto state of emergency. As demonstrators marched toward Kızılay Square chanting anti-NATO and anti-imperialist slogans, police intervened and detained more than 100 participants.
