Europe

Thousands march for boy's funeral in Turkey

The BBC's Selin Girit reports from Istanbul where thousands of mourners gathered

Tens of thousands of people have marched through Istanbul for the funeral of a teenage boy injured during anti-government protests last year.

Berkin Elvan, 15, spent 269 days in a coma before his death on Tuesday.

Many of the protesters echoed his mother's claim that the Turkish prime minister was his 'killer'.
Police in the capital Ankara fired tear gas to disperse several thousand protesters who had gathered in the central Kizilay square.

The boy was 14 when he was struck on the head by a tear gas canister while going to buy bread during last year's unrest.

Mourners carry the coffin of teenager Berkin Elvan during his funeral

  The teenager's death on Tuesday sparked disturbances across Turkey

 

Crowds holding pictures of Berkin Elvan first gathered outside the house of worship in Istanbul where his body lay. His coffin - draped in red and covered in flowers - was then carried through the streets to the cemetery.

"Berkin's murderers are the AKP police," mourners shouted, referring to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Selin Girit BBC News, Istanbul

"Berkin Elvan is immortal" - this was the most uttered slogan during the 15-year-old's funeral.
Many people could not yet come to terms with the fact that this boy had actually lost his struggle to stay alive.
"269 days," one man said to me. "He was in a coma for 269 days. Nothing came out of the investigation to why he got injured. Of course, we are very angry."
At the funeral, there was not a visible police presence. One man told me: "They can't come here. If they do, hell will break loose."
How police react to the mourners and protesters out on the streets - not only in Istanbul but also across several cities in Turkey - might be crucial in how these protests evolve.

"The rage of mothers will suffocate the killers," screamed others.

The boy's death triggered violent protests in at least 32 towns and cities across the country on Tuesday - reminiscent of last year's unrest.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said 102 people were arrested overnight in the Aegean port city of Izmir.

President Abdullah Gul expressed his sadness and appealed for calm, urging everyone "to do everything to prevent this from happening again".

He said Turkey was going through difficult days and that the "mind of the state has become overwhelmed by anger and hatred." He added: "Little 15-year-old Berkin Elvan is the latest victim of this atmosphere."

Crowds held posters and chanted the name of Berkin Elvan on the streets of Istanbul

Correspondents say Berkin Elvan became a symbol of the heavy-handed tactics used by police to rein in the biggest demonstrations against the prime minister.

The media response in Turkey

The photo of a crying mother, her head thrown back in anguish, is splashed across the front pages of many of Turkey's privately-owned daily newspapers. 

"The grief of all of us" headlines the centrist daily Vatan while the leftist Karsi proclaims: "We all know the murderer".

Other papers quote the words of Berkin's mother. "[PM] Erdogan has taken my son", reads the headlines of Evrensel, Aydinlik and Yurt newspapers.

The front page of Turkey's mass-circulation Hurriyet simply states: "We are mourning". In a commentary, writer Taha Akyol wonders: "If even the life of a youngster can't be our 'common value', what values do we have left to keep us together?"

And Mehves Evin in Milliyet says that "Today, holding bread in our hands, we will commemorate Berkin and all innocent children who were sacrificed to state violence."

But for some of the pro-government papers - such as Yeni Akit and Sabah - it is business as usual, with pictures of Erdogan's election campaign filling the front pages.

His death brought the toll from last year's unrest to at least eight, including one policeman.

The boy's mother Gulsum Elvan had challenged Mr Erdogan, who praised police "heroism" during the protests.

"It's not God who took my son away but prime minister Erdogan," the tearful mother told reporters on Tuesday.

The renewed unrest is likely to add to pressure on Mr Erdogan, whose government has been rocked by an escalating corruption scandal ahead of elections that could decide his fate.

"How many young people have to die for Erdogan to resign? My only wish is for this fascism to end without spilling more blood," said retired worker Atilla Izmirlioglu.

Mr Erdogan has vowed to step down if the AKP, in power since 2002, loses in local elections later this month. The polls are seen as a key test of his popularity after last year's unrest and recent corruption scandals.

The sons of three former cabinet ministers were arrested and accused of corruption in December last year, while an audio recording surfaced that appeared to have caught Mr Erdogan talking to his son, Bilal, about hiding millions of euros in cash.

He said last month that the recording, allegedly tapped and then posted on social media, was fabricated and part of a "treacherous attack" by US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.