Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his political enemies are planning to leak a video about him and his family to smear him before an August presidential election.  He’s blaming an Islamic cleric who he used to count among his allies.

“These plots have always failed, and they will fail.  Now they are calculating on getting the movie ready before the presidential elections,” Erdogan said.

That cleric is Fethullah Gulen, a fellow conservative Muslim who is now based in Pennsylvania in the US.  Erdogan’s government claims the Gulen movement is behind a stream of audio recordings that purport to reveal corruption in the prime minister’s inner circle.  Erdogan claims they’re fakes.  The recordings first appeared in December, but the investigation has stalled because Erdogan’s government has reassigned or sacked thousands of police and judiciary officials who tried to investigate the case. 

It’s not clear how or why Erdogan thinks a video will be leaked, or why he’ll be featured on it.

Meanwhile, Thursday is the anniversary of the beginning of the Gezi Park and Taksim Square demonstrations, and Erdogan’s government will mark it with 25,000 police officers and 50 water cannon trucks positioned to prevent any protests.  They’ll be on alert through at least 31 May, which will mark one year from the brutal crackdown ordered by Erdogan.  Initially, all protesters wanted was to stop the development of a popular green space in crowded Istanbul, but it turned into a much wider movement against the oppression and brutality of Erdogan’s administration. 

The Gezi Park and Taksim Square crackdowns left a bitter tinge of disgust in the mouths of Europeans.  A poll in Stern magazine found 69 percent of Germans oppose Turkey’s ambition to join the EU, up from 52 percent who opposed it in 2005.  Those in favor or Turkey joining the EU is at a dismal 26 percent.