Tear gas and bulldozers: Istanbul riot police clear Gezi Park protest camp

Police have fired water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets to clear Taksim and Gezi Park of protesters and prevent them from returning. Sporadic clashes have then been taking place around the area.

The news comes hours after Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan demanded the square to be “evacuated,” with protesters subsequently reporting over a hundred injuries, while the governor of Istanbul claimed the number to be closer to thirty.

Several people have been taken away in ambulances after being loaded onto stretchers, RT’s Irina Galushko reported from Istanbul.

Scores of riot police have sealed off Taksim Square and stormed the adjoining park, pressing the protesters out of the area.