BBC Learning English
Words in the News
Turkey protests
3 June 2013
_____________________________________________________
Turkish protesters have clashed with police in Istanbul overnight, in some of the worst
violence since protests started on Friday. BBC correspondent James Reynolds reports:
The demonstrations overnight in Istanbul were the most dramatic so far. Protesters in
the Dolmabahce neighbourhoods built barricades and tried to reach the prime minister's
office.
Witnesses say they got hold of a digger and drove it at police lines. Demonstrators also
tried to march on the prime minister's office in the capital Ankara. They were met by the
police who fired tear gas and water cannon.
The government has reacted angrily to the continuing protests. The prime minister,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has dismissed accusations that he acts in an authoritarian
manner.
Erdogan has insisted that a controversial plan to redevelop Gezi Park in Istanbul, the
issue which sparked the initial protests on Friday, will still go ahead.
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
Page 1 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com
Vocabulary and definitions
demonstrations public protests
dramatic powerful in appearance or effect
barricades structures which stop movement through an area or
a road
digger a vehicle that digs earth
tear gas gas that makes eyes uncomfortable and people cry;
often used by police in riots to control crowds
authoritarian describes a government where individual freedom is
second to the power or authority of the state
controversial causing argument or disagreement
redevelop to improve a building or area, which may include
bringing parts of it back to their original condition
sparked started; caused to start
Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2013/06/130603_witn_turkey_protests
Related story:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22749750
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
Page 2 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com