Erdogan holds "respect for national will" rallies in Ankara and Istanbul

Prime Minister and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed hundreds of thousands of people as part of the "Respect for National Will" meeting in Kazlicesme district of Istanbul on Sunday, only half a day after a large-scale police crackdown on protesters in Gezi, a central Istanbul park that is at the heart of the nearly 20-day-long street action across the country. Addressing his supporters, Erdogan said, "Those who wonder about what's going on in Turkey should better look at Kazlicesme, at Istanbul." Erdogan told a sea of flag-waving supporters that two weeks of protests had been manipulated by "terrorists" and dismissed suggestions that he was behaving like a dictator, a constant refrain from those who have taken to the streets. "The attitude across Turkey with the pretext of Taksim's Gezi Park is not sincere. It is nothing more than the minority's attempt to dominate the majority," Erdogan said, adding that they could not and would not allow it. Erdogan held the initial Respect for National Rally in Ankara's Sincan district on Saturday. At Saturday's rally in Sincan, Erdogan told the crowd attending the rally, "This nation is standing up for its government, regardless of their political party, ethnic background or political leanings." He said the crowd was actually standing up for democracy. "The protests are part of a conspiracy, but Turkey will not submit to this game. Those who come to the rally are spoiling the ugly game being played against Turkey. We will not let Turkey once again be separated street by street, village by village, city by city, region by region. Nobody will be able to harm this unity," Erdogan added.