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Thousands gather in Turkey for teenage boy's funeral Thousands march for boy's funeral in Turkey
(about 2 hours later)
Thousands of people have gathered in Istanbul for the funeral of a 15-year-old boy who died nine months after being injured during Turkish anti-government protests. Tens of thousands of people have marched through Istanbul for the funeral of a teenage boy injured during anti-government protests last year.
Berkin Elvan's death on Tuesday led to protests in cities across the country. Berkin Elvan, 15, spent 269 days in a coma before his death on Tuesday.
President Abdullah Gul appealed for calm ahead of the funeral. Many of the protesters echoed his mother's claim that the Turkish prime minister was his 'killer'.
The boy was injured while walking to buy bread in Istanbul in June, when he was 14. He was hit on the head by a tear gas canister during the unrest. Police in the capital Ankara fired tear gas to disperse several thousand protesters who had gathered in the central Kizilay square.
Correspondents say his 269 days in a coma gripped the country and became a symbol of the heavy-handed tactics used by police to rein in the biggest demonstrations against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The boy was 14 when he was struck on the head by a tear gas canister while going to buy bread during last year's unrest.
Thousands of mourners arrived early on Wednesday in the streets near an Alevi Muslim prayer hall, known as a Cemevi, in the Okmeydan area of Istanbul. Crowds holding pictures of Berkin Elvan first gathered outside the house of worship in Istanbul where his body lay. His coffin - draped in red and covered in flowers - was then carried through the streets to the cemetery.
The crowds chanted anti-government slogans, clapped and shouted the teenager's name. A march to the centre of the city began after the funeral. "Berkin's murderers are the AKP police," mourners shouted, referring to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu called for security forces in the city to perform their duties "carefully" during the funeral and protest. "The rage of mothers will suffocate the killers," screamed others.
News of Berkin Elvan's death - the eighth linked to mass anti-government protests - triggered demonstrations in several Turkish cities on Tuesday. The boy's death triggered violent protests in at least 32 towns and cities across the country on Tuesday - reminiscent of last year's unrest.
In Ankara, police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse some 2,000 protesters who chanted: "Government of Erdogan, government of corruption, resign, resign." The state-run Anadolu news agency said 102 people were arrested overnight in the Aegean port city of Izmir.
Police pursued protesters into side streets where small clashes continued. President Abdullah Gul expressed his sadness and appealed for calm, urging everyone "to do everything to prevent this from happening again".
There was similar police action against thousands of protesters on both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul and in the cities of Mersin and Adana. He said Turkey was going through difficult days and that the "mind of the state has become overwhelmed by anger and hatred." He added: "Little 15-year-old Berkin Elvan is the latest victim of this atmosphere."
The June protests started as a gathering to save an Istanbul park, but they quickly grew into a nationwide movement against the government of Mr Erdogan, which critics say has become increasingly authoritarian and corrupt. Correspondents say Berkin Elvan became a symbol of the heavy-handed tactics used by police to rein in the biggest demonstrations against the prime minister.
The sons of three former cabinet ministers have been arrested and accused of corruption, while Mr Erdogan himself has condemned as fabricated an audio recording that appears to show him talking to his son, Bilal, about hiding millions of euros in cash. His death brought the toll from last year's unrest to at least eight, including one policeman.
He said last month that the recording, allegedly tapped and then posted on social media, was a "treacherous attack". The boy's mother Gulsum Elvan had challenged Mr Erdogan, who praised police "heroism" during the protests.
The prime minister says the corruption allegations are part of a plot to unseat him by US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. "It's not God who took my son away but prime minister Erdogan," the tearful mother told reporters on Tuesday.
President Gul sent a message of condolence to Elvan's family, saying that Turkey was going through difficult days and that the "mind of the state has become overwhelmed by anger and hatred". The renewed unrest is likely to add to pressure on Mr Erdogan, whose government has been rocked by an escalating corruption scandal ahead of elections that could decide his fate.
"Little 15-year-old Berkin Elvan is the latest victim of this atmosphere", he said. "How many young people have to die for Erdogan to resign? My only wish is for this fascism to end without spilling more blood," said retired worker Atilla Izmirlioglu.
After the boy's death was announced, his mother appeared outside Okmeydani hospital and was quickly surrounded by mourners. Tributes appeared on social media and hundreds of people gathered to show their anger. Mr Erdogan has vowed to step down if the AKP, in power since 2002, loses in local elections later this month. The polls are seen as a key test of his popularity after last year's unrest and recent corruption scandals.
The sons of three former cabinet ministers were arrested and accused of corruption in December last year, while an audio recording surfaced that appeared to have caught Mr Erdogan talking to his son, Bilal, about hiding millions of euros in cash.
He said last month that the recording, allegedly tapped and then posted on social media, was fabricated and part of a "treacherous attack" by US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.