Police use tear gas to disperse Beşiktaş fans

ISTANBUL

The fans waiting to see the game between Beşiktaş and Bursaspor, as well as the players working out inside the stadium were also affected by the gas, Hürriyet reported on April 11.



Bursaspor coach Hamza Hamzaoğlu sent his players to the locker room due to gas exposure.



Footage from the scene showed people lying on the ground and running away from the gas and water cannon.







The reason for the police intervention is yet unknown.



The Beşiktaş football club’s most famous support group, çArşı, is known for its left-leaning ideology and emphatic dissident stance on a panoply of topics, as well as their sensitivity to social movements.



They played an important role in spreading the Gezi protests, as they were among the first groups to continue demonstrating despite a brutal police crackdown on protesters following the first raids on Gezi Park in May 2013.



Many çArşı members were detained during the protests, as the group became a target of officials.



Police have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse Beşiktaş fans gathering to attend the first match at the club’s long-awaited new stadium, Vodafone Arena.