Turkey Protests Rage On: More Than 1,700 Held

Protesters stream back to Taksim Square as the British Foreign Office warns against all but essential travel to parts of Turkey.

5:48am UK, Monday 03 June 2013

Police guard the PM's office in the capital, Ankara

Dozens have been injured and more than 1,700 people arrested in 235 demonstrations that have flared up in 67 cities across the vast nation.
In the capital, Ankara, on Sunday, police reportedly fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse a crowd demonstrating against the government as crowds returned to Kizilay Square.
The Foreign Office has issued advice to British tourists to avoid the demonstrations. It also advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country that are close to the Syrian border, and warns of the "high threat" from terrorism.

Crowds take to Taskim Square in Istanbul for a third day

According to The Association of British Travel Agents, around 15,000 holidaymakers from the UK would have been in Turkey over the past weekend during the half-term break.
However, many would have returned at the weekend with the end of the holidays.
Some protesters camped overnight at Istanbul's Taksim Square, gathering around the monument to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern secular Turkey.
Akin, who has been in Taksim for the past four days, said: "We are not leaving. The only answer now is for this government to fall. We are tired of this oppressive government constantly putting pressure on us.

Amnesty International said two protesters have been killed in clashes

"This is no longer about these trees," he said, referring to Taksim's Gezi Park, which was the initial focus of the protests.
Amnesty International said there had been two deaths, and Turkey's Western allies including Britain and the US called on the government to show restraint.
Police withdrew from Taksim Square on Saturday after violent clashes in which they fired tear gas and turned water cannon against the demonstrators.
The interior ministry said 53 civilians and 26 police officers were hurt during the violence, while Amnesty put the number of wounded in the hundreds.

Anti-government graffiti sprayed on the walls of Istanbul

What began as an outcry against plans to build a shopping centre or apartments on the park snowballed into a broader protest against the government, which critics say has become increasingly authoritarian.
Istanbul mayor Kadir Topbas has said he regrets "not informing the people enough" on the details of the construction project in Taksim, the spark that led to the protests.
Earlier, shopkeepers and municipal workers started cleaning up the streets where the violence had taken place.
Sky's correspondent Katie Stallard said that rubble littered the main streets around Taksim Square.

The police crackdown on the protests began on Friday

"There is about 48 hours-worth of damage done here," she said.
"There is graffiti up and down the street calling for Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, to resign; calling for people to unite against fascism."
Shopkeepers scrubbed anti-government graffiti off walls, and slogans were also sprayed on burnt-out vehicles including a police car and a bus.
On Saturday, Mr Erdogan said there had been examples of "extreme" police action, but said that the Taksim Square develpment would go ahead.
He added: "I call on the protesters to stop their demonstrations immediately."
The Interior Ministry said that legal action would be taken against police officers who had acted "disproportionately".
The country's Doctors' Association said four people have permanently lost their eyesight after being hit by gas canisters or plastic bullets.

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    The demonstrations started in Istanbul but then spread across the country. Here, protesters gather on a main street in Ankara late on Saturday.
    

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    Pockets of demonstrators remained in Istanbul's Taksim Square in the early hours of Sunday.
    

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    Rubble littered the streets, cars and buses were damaged and windows were smashed.
    

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    The protests are directed against the Islamist-rooted government of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
    

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    The protesters have sprayed anti-government slogans on walls and vehicles.
    

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