Turkey

Turkish police have fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse hundreds of anti-government demonstrators in the capital Ankara

Turkey police fire tear gas at protesters
The Turkish police have fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse hundreds of anti-government demonstrators in the capital Ankara.

During the wee hours of Friday morning, the protesters, who were chanting slogans against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, gathered at a square in central Ankara.

The police clashed with the protesters leaving several people injured.

Some of the protesters responded with Molotov cocktails, fireworks, and stones.

On Thursday, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said that the authorities were investigating people who allegedly insulted government officials or provoked violence during the anti-government protests on social media.

On the same day, Turkey’s Aksam newspaper reported that the police had provided to Istanbul prosecutors a list of 35 names of people who had allegedly insulted Erdogan or other officials on Twitter or Facebook.

The unrest in Turkey began on May 31 after police broke up a sit-in held at the Taksim Square to protest against the proposal to demolish 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 one of Istanbul’s last green public spaces.

Four people, including a police officer, have died in the clashes and more than 5,000 protesters and 600 police officers have been injured.

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