People in Turkey protesting sale of part of Atatürk Forest Farm to USA attacked by police
A group of representatives from Ankara branch of Turkey’s Chamber of Architects and members of democratic forces gathered near Kızılay square in Ankara on Wednesday to martch to the US Embassy to protest the sale of a part of the land of Atatürk Forest Farm in the capital city of Ankara to the US.
As group marched with a black wreath that they wanted to leave in front of the embassy building of the USA in Çankaya district, police intervened violently against the protesters with teargas.
Earlier in August, it was reported that a 37 thousand meter square area was sold to US to be used as the land where the embassy building will be constructed. The request of the Chamber of Architects for the settlement document to be released was denied by officials, who claimed the requested information was a ‘trade secret’.
Arguing that the land at stake cannot be used for such purposes as the current law designates the area as ‘a land granted to the public by Atatürk in 1925’, the Chamber has been following up with the controversial bids over the land.