Protesters hurl stones at Erdogan’s office in Istanbul

Protesters have hurled stones at Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office in Istanbul.

On Saturday night, about 5,000 protesters surrounded Erdogan’s office in Istanbul’s Besiktas municipality, located on the European shore of the strait of Bosphorus, and threw stones, injuring at least seven policemen, Xinhua reported.

Special police forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators.

Earlier in the day, 100,000 demonstrators gathered in Taksim Square, demanding that Erdogan step down and calling the government “fascist.”

Thousands of people also took to the streets of other Turkish cities, such as Ankara, Izmir, Mugla, and Antalya, in support of the protesters in Istanbul.

The anti-government unrest began after police broke up a sit-in staged in Taksim Square on Friday to protest against the demolition of Gezi Park.

The protesters say Gezi Park, which is a traditional gathering point for rallies and demonstrations as well as a popular tourist destination, is the city’s last green public space.

Amnesty International censured the Turkish police for the tactics they used to control the protests.

“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,” John Dalhuisen, the director of the Europe and Central Asia Programme of Amnesty International, said on Saturday.

“The Turkish authorities must order police to halt any excessive use of force and urgently investigate all reports of abuse. They have a duty to ensure that people can exercise their right to free expression and assembly,” Dalhuisen added.