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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sparked protests in the province of his home, the center of his political base, with plans to build a quarry that would destroy a virgin forest.

By Carlotta Gall

IKIZDERE, Turkey – The inhabitants of the unspoiled forests of Rize province in northeastern Turkey have had two herbal advantages: a largely intact landscape, rich in wildlife and trout-filled streams, and the protective influence of the region’s top popular and harsh local citizen, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

But now, at a time when Erdogan is under national political pressure, the province of his home has become a battleground between some of these villagers and the president. For weeks, they organized protests against Erdogan over a quarry that threatens to destroy 220 acres of wood that rise behind a home organization and are an essential resource for rural Ikizdere district.

“This is our paradise,” said Gungor Bas, who lives in his grandfather’s space by a stream already stuck by dust deposited through the bulldozers. “We were drinking in the creek. But for the last 10 days, we’ve had to drink bottled water. “

Protests at the quarry last month were notable when they broke out in Rize, Erdogan on the Black Sea coast. His wary political parties seized the opportunity to undermine the already besieged leader, who is on the defensive against the precarious state of the United States. economics and the consequences of the pandemic.

Protests in Ikizdere began in late April, and opposition politicians eager to exploit any crack in Ikizdere’s control of the government, Erdogan rushed to the district to offer his intervention, as government officials intervened to quell the protests.

Erdogan no longer tolerates demonstrations, with the exception of those of his supporters, and police used heavy-handed to crush protests in Rize.

The quarry, near the village of Gurdere, is the last of many primary projects Erdogan has advocated to generate expansion and jobs in the country for more than 19 years. With unemployment and inflation high, he promised his supporters even more. .

But for his opponents, Ikizdere’s destruction goes to the center of what it is with Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian leadership and friendliness after 19 years in power. The president and senior officials have recently been shaken by accusations of corruption and links to organized crimes.

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