In the summer of 2013 tens of thousands of Turks protested against the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Besiktas fans threatens life imprisonment

Middle: The followers of Besiktas Istanbul. With their commitment, they made ​​sure that a popular uprising was from the protests. 35 fans of football’s top clubs have to reckon with life imprisonment for their involvement in the protests against the then Prime Minister and current President.

This is clear from the submitted on Monday indictment of the leading members of the fan club Besiktas “Carsi group” for alleged attempts a coup.
The “Carsi” group had been one of the main forces behind the anti-Erdogan demonstrations last year. According to the investigators, the Besiktas fans are thereby established an armed organization, have initiated violent riots and also made ​​a vain attempt to fill Erdogan damaligem official residence. Target would have been a deliberate destabilization of the Turkish state.

Besiktas supporters towards Taksim Square.

It was hardly surprising that involved the Besiktas-Ultras also in the protests against the Erdogan government. “Carsi” has been fighting for 30 years against despots and arbitrary state power. The group has almost 300,000 followers on Twitter.

Beginning in June 2013 had moved to Istanbul tens of thousands of Besiktas supporters towards Taksim Square. They wore black and white fan scarves with you, drums, flares. Locally they fought street battles with the police, hijacked an excavator and thus marketed a water cannon. The video was a hit on YouTube.

The Erdogan government was then proceed with great brutality against the protesters. Through his actions, the then Premier had made abroad for terror and fierce criticism.