MEP Elmar Brok says that Turkish PM Erdogan is going down the wrong path and that he must understand that in a democracy you can lose the backing of the majority.

Interview: Turkey accession? We'll have to wait a bit...

The protests in Taksim Square  seem to have abated.

The situation in the park itself  is also quieter.

How do you view things from here  in Brussels?

Has anything changed  following the protests?

Yes. We must acknowledge that the actions  of the police and the authorities

and that the statements by the Turkish  government are totally unacceptable.

It seems a little harsh  to label all demonstrators as terrorists.

Going into people's houses  to arrest them,

after identifying them  by monitoring social networks

and the way in which  freedom of opinion was used...

There were deaths,  thousands were injured.

We cannot condone these deaths  and the injuries that were caused.

We are awaiting  further developments in Turkey

to see if this will indeed lead  to a more authoritarian regime.

Turkey was considered a symbol of  democracy in this region for a long time.

Does Tayyip Erdoğan no longer represent  the link to Brussels,

Many of us doubted that Turkey really  had the will or ability to join the EU.

This seems to prove  that it's not possible.

However, we also need to consider  the strategic importance of Turkey

and the necessity to find a way  of establishing a close relationship.

Mr Erdoğan has apparently  chosen the wrong path,

assuming he wasn't just putting on  a front in the first place.

The longer he has been in office,  the more authoritarian he has become,

and his decisions  have become more isolated.

That's what really caused the protests,  not the issues about the park.

It was a protest against the development  of an authoritarian Islamist policy,

which many,  especially young Turks, do not want.

'Who do you think you are?'  This was the reaction from Turkey

following a statement  by the European Parliament

which questioned  Turkey's reaction to the protests.

It may be, hypothetically speaking, that  our statement was not entirely right.

shows that Mr Erdoğan does not  understand how a free parliament works.

We won't be dictated to  by a head of state.

He probably behaves in the same way  towards his own parliament,

and I don't consider this the right way  to establish a free democratic society.

Has the mood now also changed as far as  the enlargement talks are concerned?

Did Turkey close the door on this and did  the EU possibly close the door as well?

I think a lot of people  who initially supported Turkey's entry

are now recommending it be put  on hold.

I believe there is a general consensus  on this here in Parliament,

to wait and see  how the situation develops.

But I also think it would be wrong  to discontinue these efforts completely.

That's why, over the next few weeks,  we will observe and discuss these issues

and the European Council will certainly  discuss this too.

You mentioned democracy  within the Parliament.

Can the Turkish leadership  also be called democratic?

Turkey is a relative democracy  compared to its neighbours.

There have been free elections,  there is no doubt about that,

therefore we shouldn't close the door now,

but instead attempt  to make further progress.

Mr Erdoğan needs to realise that in  a democracy you can also lose a majority.

He cannot maintain a stable regime by  using force and insulting his opponents.

Democracy also includes  the willingness to accept defeat.

He should release those  who were imprisoned.

He should stop the persecution  by the police and intelligence agencies.

before extending police authority  beyond the rule of law.

We had good reasons for demanding  the power of the military be curbed.

If he now just substitutes  military power with police power,