Police crackdown in Turkey
Turkish police have launched a crackdown on anti-government protesters in Istanbul after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the demonstrators to evacuate in a speech at a rally in the capital Ankara.
Turkish police have launched a crackdown on anti-government protesters in Istanbul after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the demonstrators to evacuate in a speech at a rally in the capital Ankara.
Police used tear gas to disperse protesters in Istanbul early this morning, hours after a protest camp was cleared from a park in the Turkish city.
Police in riot gear also dismantled barricades which had been put up, including one on a street leading to Taksim Square - which has been at the heart of the recent unrest.
A hotel was hit by tear-gas canisters during the police operation, forcing guests and protesters sheltering inside the hotel to rush out into the street, the Associated Press reported.
Anti-government protesters and police have been fighting a running battle for control of Istanbul's Taksim Square on an 11th day of clashes.
"We'll never forget what we have seen in the past few days. People bleeding on the street from rubber bullets and nurses beaten by police."