UPDATE - Anadolu Agency's director condemns injury of journo

UPDATE - Anadolu Agency's director condemns injury of journo

Mustafa Yalcin injured suffers eye injury when gas canister fired by French security forces hit him in face amid clashes

ADSS MORE CONDEMNATIONS


By Zehra Nur Duz and Ali Murat Alhas


ANKARA (AA) – The Chairman of the Board and Director General of Anadolu Agency on Friday condemned an attack on one of the organization’s photojournalist who was wounded in protests between French police and demonstrators protesting controversial plans for pension reforms.

In a written statement, Senol Kazanci said Mustafa Yalcin was wounded while working hard to inform people about incidents taking place in France and wished him a quick recovery, adding Anadolu Agency "closely monitored the treatment process."

Kazanci said Yalcin, who has Turkish and French citizenships, was a qualified photojournalist who was awarded many prizes.

"Our friend Mustafa Yalcin was wounded by the violence of French police while doing his duty. The same day, two other journalists were also reportedly wounded. We strongly condemn the French policemen for attacking press members doing their job," he said.

He stressed that journalists' safety and freedom were core elements of democracy urged French security forces to respect those principles and act accordingly.

He also called on the French authorities to take legal action against those responsible for the attack.

Anadolu Agency would follow up with French authorities to investigate whether the incident was the result of a deliberate manner, Kazanci said, adding that the law department of the agency was preparing to defend the legal rights Yalcin.

Kazanci thanked Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun and Turkey’s Ambassador in Paris Ismail Hakki Musa for closely monitoring the incident.

“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the French police’s assault on Mustafa Yalçın, a photojournalist with Anadolu Agency, with a gas canister during the protests in Paris,” Altun said in a statement. “The Directorate of Communications, together with the relevant agencies of the Republic of Turkey, will continue to monitor the situation.”

“This heinous assault by French police against a journalist whose job is only journalism is unacceptable,” said Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Serdar Cam.

TRT Director General Ibrahim Eren said he hopes Yalcin, who left an unforgettable frame in history with his photographs of a military salute performed by players on the Turkish national team in a French match, will bring in many other precious work in the future.

Yalcin was injured in the eye when a gas canister fired by the security forces struck him in the face, breaking his mask. He was rushed to a nearby hospital.


- Protests in France

The Interior Ministry said 806,000 people took part in the protests, while labor unions put the number at nearly 1.5 million in which police have used smoke bombs to disperse the crowd.

The "unlimited" strike impacted all public transport systems in the country, according to local media reports.

A total of 90 people have been arrested in Paris, police said.

Some train, subway and bus services were canceled and many schools were closed while 20% of flights to the country have also been canceled.

The Paris Police Department said on Twitter that it conducted 6,476 checks so far, and the strike was set to continue until Monday, according to labor unions.

The Gare du Nord, a railway station in Paris, was almost empty in the morning, according to broadcaster France 24.

Protesters, however, made their way to the station later in the day to attend the main march to Place de la Nation square.


They included police, healthcare professionals, teachers, lawyers, taxi and freight drivers, postal workers, farmers, civil servants, refinery workers and students, according to the Le Monde daily.


The walkout came after the government announced its determination to implement pension reform despite a nationwide outcry.


According to France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, President Emmanuel Macron has further fueled the "sense of anger and rebellion" among French people against their president with his economic policies that have given wealthy people a greater share of national income since his inauguration on May 17, 2017.


He has been facing the biggest crisis since the beginning of the Yellow Vest protests in October last year.


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