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Turkish protesters pack Taksim Square as police withdraw Turkey protest: Anti-government clashes spread
(about 4 hours later)
Police in the Turkish city of Istanbul have pulled out of a square which has become the focus of the largest anti-government protest in years. Police have clashed with protesters in the Turkish capital Ankara and in Istanbul, on the second day of unrest initially sparked by plans to build a shopping centre on a city park.
Thousands of people are in Taksim Square after days of unrest sparked by plans to redevelop nearby Gezi Park. Thousands of people packed into Istanbul's Taksim Square, near the Gezi Park, after police pulled out.
In recent days police have fired tear gas and water cannon several times to break up the demonstrations. But the unrest then moved to the upmarket Besiktas district, where police fired tear gas and water cannon.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said police may have used excessive force but that the park development will go ahead. Officials said more than 90 protests had taken place across Turkey.
An administrative court had ordered a temporary halt to the demolition work on Friday, but in a defiant speech to the exporters' union on Saturday, Mr Erdogan said an Ottoman era military barracks on the Gezi Park site would be rebuilt on the site as planned. A total of 939 people had been arrested, the Interior Ministry said, as demonstrations took place in towns and cities including Antalya, Izmir and Konya.
Referring to protesters fears that the site was destined to be a shopping mall, he said one "might be built on the ground floor or a city museum" but that this had not yet been decided. Dozens of injures have been reported.
He called for an end to the protests, saying Taksim Square "cannot be an area where extremists are running wild". These are the largest anti-government protests in Turkey for years.
Police 'mistakes' Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said police had made "mistakes" in the force they have used, but has called for an end to the Istanbul protests.
The protesters say the park is one of the few green spaces left in Istanbul, and that the government is ignoring their appeals for it be saved. He said Taksim Square "cannot be an area where extremists are running wild".
Their protests initially began as a sit-in in the park, but erupted in clashes on Friday as police fired tear gas to try to clear them out. Police withdraw
Correspondents say that what was initially a local issue has spiralled into widespread anti-government unrest and anger over the perceived "Islamisation" of Turkey. The protesters say Gezi Park in Istanbul is one of the few green spaces left in Istanbul, and that the government is ignoring their appeals for it be saved.
One woman told Agence France-Presse: "They want to turn this country into an Islamist state, they want to impose their vision all the while pretending to respect democracy." Their protest began with a small number of people staging a sit-in in the park at the start of the week.
Another, Oral Goktas, said the protest had brought together people from many different backgrounds objecting to the prime minister's leadership. On Friday, clashes broke out as police fired tear gas to try to clear them out.
"This has become a protest against the government, against Erdogan taking decisions like a king," she told Reuters news agency. Correspondents say that the protest has spiralled into widespread anti-government unrest and anger over the perceived "Islamisation" of Turkey.
The perception that police have been heavy-handed by firing tear gas and water cannon - a view adopted by many of the country's mainstream media - also fuelled the unrest. Dozens of people have been injured in the clashes. The perception that police have been heavy-handed, a view adopted by many of the country's mainstream media, has also fuelled the unrest.
Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper quoted police as saying 138 people were in custody. On Saturday, in a defiant speech to the exporters' union, Mr Erdogan said the plan to rebuild an Ottoman era military barracks on the Gezi Park site would go ahead as planned.
Mr Erdogan said there had been "some mistakes, extremism in police response", while the authorities have insisted that any allegations of abuse of power by the police will be investigated. Referring to protesters fears that the site was destined to be a shopping centre, he said one "might be built on the ground floor or a city museum" but that this had not yet been decided.
In an apparent bid to reduce tensions, police and riot vehicles were withdrawn from the square on Saturday afternoon, and barricades removed, allowing thousands of people to enter the square. But he also admitted there had been "some mistakes, extremism in police response", and that the authorities were investigating.
The scene in the central square appeared to be peaceful, with protesters chanting slogans, dancing and waving banners, some calling for the government to resign. In an apparent bid to reduce tension, police and riot vehicles were withdrawn from the square on Saturday afternoon, and barricades removed, allowing thousands of people to enter the square and demonstrate.
However clashes continued in the Besiktas district of the city. One protester, Koray Caliskan, told the BBC people felt "victorious".
The BBC's Ben Thompson in the city said police were using tear gas and water cannon near the Shangri-la hotel to hold back protesters, who had in turn built a barricade across the main street. "This is the first time in Turkey's political history that a million people moved into Taksim Square to claim their public park," he said.
Some people were digging up cobble stones to throw at police lines, our correspondent said. Another protester, Oral Goktas, told Reuters the protest had become one "against the government, against Erdogan taking decisions like a king".
There were reports of further clashes in front of the prime minister's office. The scene in the central square appeared to be peaceful, with protesters chanting slogans, dancing, waving banners and calling for the government to resign.
However the violent scenes then moved to the upmarket Besiktas area of the city, close to the Istanbul offices of the prime minister.
Police in Besiktas fired tear gas to hold back protesters, some of whom were throwing stones or cobbles.
The BBC's Shaimaa Khalil in Istanbul says the mood changed as darkness fell, and that the largely young crowd appeared to be growing increasingly agitated.
Similar clashes were seen on the streets of the capital, from where video footage emerged which appeared to show a group of protesters being run over by a water cannon vehicle.
Foreign concernForeign concern
Mr Erdogan has been in power since 2002 and some in Turkey have complained that his government is becoming increasingly authoritarian. Mr Erdogan has accused his opponents of using the anger over the Gezi Park issue to stoke up tensions.
The prime minister has been in power since 2002 and some in Turkey have complained that his government is becoming increasingly authoritarian.
His ruling AK Party has its roots in political Islam, but he says he is committed to Turkey's state secularism.His ruling AK Party has its roots in political Islam, but he says he is committed to Turkey's state secularism.
The US has expressed concern over Turkey's handling of the protests and Amnesty International condemned the police's tactics, saying: "The use of violence by police on this scale appears designed to deny the right to peaceful protest altogether and to discourage others from taking part>" The US has expressed concern over Turkey's handling of the protests and Amnesty International condemned the police's tactics, saying: "The use of violence by police on this scale appears designed to deny the right to peaceful protest altogether and to discourage others from taking part."
In his speech, Mr Erdogan criticised the "preaching" of foreign governments, saying they "should first look at their own countries".
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