The US is cautioning Turkey against excessive police force in dealing with escalating protests across the nation, as Turkey’s Prime Minister leaves the troubled country behind to go on a trip to North Africa.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said, “We are concerned by the reports of excessive use of force by police.  We obviously hope that there will be a full investigation of those incidents and full restraint from the police force.”

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Greenpeace have all condemned Turkey’s heavy-handed response to the spontaneous demonstrations.  Greenpeace got involved because it all began with cops cracking down on a peaceful protest against cutting down some trees in a park in Istanbul.  But Turkey’s urban middle class was provoked by the overkill and the protests spread like wildfire.

A day ago, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed he could mobilize his political support to overwhelm and crush the demonstrations, now beginning a sixth day (including the early days of the protest before it went nationwide). 

But instead, Erdogan left on a previously-scheduled trip to meet presidents and government officials of Tunisia, Morocco and Algiers, and attend the first meeting of Advanced Strategic Cooperation Council in Tunisia.