Turkish minister: Social media not a privilege area of insult and solicitation

Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler said on Monday that nobody can use their freedom by ruling out others' area of freedom, referring to some Taksim Gezi Park protestors damaging public and private property and hurting or disturbing innocent people. Attending the graduation ceremony of the Turkish National Police Academy in Turkish capital Ankara, Turkish Interior Minister Guler scolded the provocateurs in social media fuelling the violence in Taksim Gezi Park protests. "As in all our services, we pay ultimate attention, in security issues, to the protection of human rights and freedoms as well as prioritizing our citizens' satisfaction," Interior Minister Guler noted, defending Turkish security forces who have been blamed for excessive use of power on Gezi Park protestors. Guler urged that social media should not be used as a means of provocation and triggering violence, saying "Social media cannot be a privilege area of insult and solicitation used to mar social peace and tranquility. There are legal means and rules in democracies to claim one's rights." "We would like to highlight that nobody can use their freedom by ruling out others' area of freedom," he said. Guler stressed that Turkish police represent not only the reputation of their own institution and themselves but also that of the Turkish state, with their manner on the streets and attitude towards the citizens. "We keep on our efforts upon the belief that freedoms lose their meaning in the absence of security. We will neither give upon our freedoms nor our security," he added.