Erdogan hails Turkish police

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of a police academy on Monday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed and encouraged the national police, saying that the protests linked to Gezi Park near Istanbul's Taksim Square targeted Turkish police in a systematic and deliberate fashion but that his government would not allow "international circles" to disparage the police. "We will not let circles who have been adversaries of Turkey or international and national media to wear down our police. I and my government congratulate our police wholeheartedly. On behalf of my country and nation, I would like to thank all my police siblings for standing up against incidents that have been going on for weeks, with sacrifice and patriotism," Erdogan said, adding that the national police have passed a very important, a very challenging democracy test with success. Recalling his government's zero tolerance for torture, Erdogan said the government would do whatever was necessary when the police force makes a mistake. He also highlighted that the police force had proved its patience and restraint during the recent protests.