The protest is continuing due to the government's determination to press ahead with its plans. The protest, which started as a simple sit-in in Gezi Park in its first days, turned into mass demonstrations against the policies of the government and the excessive use of force by the police against the demonstrators. Columnists are complaining about the attitude of politicians concerning Gezi Park as well as erroneous news reports referring to a possible civil war and to deaths that supposedly occurred during the unrest, heightening the level of tension in Taksim Square, where protests have been taking place for the past six days.
Star's Mustafa Karaalioğlu thinks the protest that was staged because of environmental concerns turned into a political protest against government policies with the participation of politicians from the opposition parties. Karaalioğlu says people's dissatisfaction with the current government is quite normal but that it is preferable for them show their displeasure when going to the polls. Karaalioğlu also thinks that the attitude of İstanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş in communicating with the protesters was a good step.
According to Bugün's Gülay Göktürk, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) should see that the mass rage which emerged after the protests against the felling of trees in Gezi Park is a result of their policies and not just about the Gezi Park project. He says the AK Party should also stop blaming “dark forces” and “unaccountable opposition parties” for the extent of the protests. Göktürk evaluates Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's request for the demonstrators to end their protest and Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç's self-criticism about the project as very effective in reducing the level of tension.
Yenişafak's Yasin Aktay says if the government had prepared a detailed presentation of the Gezi Park project, there would not have been such a high level of provocation and misleading news on the project. Aktay also thinks it is very clear that some reactions to the project shown by some journalists, artists and politicians have nothing to do with environmental concerns.
ERGİN HAVA
SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME
BEGÜM BURAK
E. BARIŞ ALTINTAŞ
OĞUZHAN TEKİN
MAHIR ZEYNALOV
MUSTAFA GÜRBÜZ
M. EDİB YILMAZ
MUSTAFA GERDAN
DENİZ ERGÜREL
LAURA MOTH
LAMİYA ADİLGIZI
HAYAT ALVI
HALİL BİLECEN
SİNEM CENGİZ
ABDULLA HAWEZ
MEHMET SOLMAZ
ERDOAN A. SHIPOLI
ALİ ZEYNEL GÖKPINAR
İSA ERASLAN
FATMA DEMİRELLİ
ŞULE KULU
ESRA MADEN
ABDULLAH AYASUN
EMİRHAN YORULMAZLAR
HAROON MOGHUL
YUSRA GHANNOUCHI
JAMES KIGER
PINAR VURUCU