Universities are in turmoil all around Europe. Universities and secondary school have been occupied by students (and in some countries, like Italy, teachers too) for days. Students at Ankara University were protesting the clashes between police and students last week. And they continued with their protest yesterday disrupting a conference (“The Constitution in Turkey”) where a deputy from the government and the opposition would have delivered speeches.

Targets of the protest were Republican People's Party (CHP) Secretary-General Süheyl Batum and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy Burhan Kuzu, who were to give speeches at the conference. The conference was canceled.

The protest comes after a meeting between the prime minister and university presidents last Saturday sparked a debate on police brutality. Students protested the meeting on Saturday and tried to gain access to the meeting, which took place in Dolmabahçe Palace, were met with a “disproportionate use of force” by police. Police used tear gas and batons to beat indiscriminately any protestor they could catch as news cameras recorded the incident. A 19-year old woman who was pregnant at the time was kicked in the stomach by a police officer and lost her baby as a result. She also has stated that the officer began kicking her harder when she told him that she was pregnant.