Spirit of compromise must prevail to prevent further regression of democracy

Commenting on the public demonstrations in Turkey and the violent response of the authorities, Green MEP and co-chair of the EU-Turkey joint parliamentary committee Hélène Flautre said: "The massive peaceful demonstrations in Turkey, the silence of the Turkish mainstream media and the excessive use of force by the Turkish police are symptoms of wider problems within the political system in the country. The violent, heavy-handed response of the police authorities against the peaceful demonstrators should stop and all those arrested should be released.