A picture of an aide close to Turkey's prime minister kicking a protester has sparked fury and stoked even more outrage against the government's handling of the mine disaster. Yesterday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the town nearby where 300 miners died in an explosion sparked a massive protest accusing him of being a "thief" and "liar."
During the protests, a government official, identified as Yusef Yerkel, was caught on camera kicking a protester, who reportedly smashed a car in the prime minister's motorcade, as he was pinned down by two soldiers. The picture quickly circulated on social media. A Turkish newspaper reports Yerkel is expected to make a public statement about the picture sometime today. --Jordan Valinsky
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