David Walsh caught up in Istanbul riot sparked by mine disaster protest
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Version 0 of 1. The multi-millionaire owner of Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art (Mona), David Walsh, has been caught up in an Istanbul riot. Walsh and his wife, Kirsha Kaechele, have escaped water cannons and tear gas used by Turkish police on a crowd protesting over last week's mine tragedy. The couple unwittingly found themselves among a crowd wearing mining helmets and gas marks after setting off on a shopping expedition, Walsh has written on his blog. "We soon felt the water cannons, and saw the sparks and heard the snare drum crack of the tear-gas canisters being fired," he wrote. "Moments later we tasted the canisters' rather unpleasant contents. "So we became part of stampede." The couple escaped by jumping into a taxi. "We had gone, not to check out the action, but to find a dress for Kirsha that is Islam-friendly – not a feature of her regular wardrobe," Walsh wrote. A spokeswoman told the Hobart Mercury they were holidaying in Turkey and both were safe and well. A coal-mining tragedy in Turkey's west has claimed more than 300 lives. |