‘Police conduct raids across Turkey’

Turkish police have carried out multiple raids across the country and detained dozens of anti-government protesters, local media have reported.

Some 25 people were arrested in the capital, Ankara, 13 others in the northwestern city of Eskisehir and “many” in Istanbul, state media TRT said on Tuesday.

NTV television also said that police raids targeted left-wings groups in Ankara and Istanbul, which the government suspects were involved in violent clashes with police during the recent anti-government demonstrations.

Turkey has been the scene of protests that began in Istanbul’s Taksim Square on May 31 and turned violent after police tried to clear protesters from the iconic Square using tear gas and water cannon.

Clashes also erupted in several other cities across the country, with protesters calling on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resign.

Five people, including a police officer, have reportedly died in the clashes and more than 7,500 have been injured.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said in a televised interview on Monday that Ankara may bring in the army to end the nationwide anti-government protests.

Police “will use all their powers” to end the unrest and “If this is not enough, we can even utilize the Turkish armed forces in cities,” he said.

Two of Turkey’s main trade unions began a nationwide strike on Monday in protest at a police raid on a protester camp in Istanbul’s Gezi Park.

The strike by Turkish union confederations, DISK and KESK, comes a day after Erdogan defended his crackdown on an Istanbul park protest.