Photos: Protests continue against government in Turkey
June 1, 2013
Demonstrators clash with police during a protest against Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in central Ankara on June 1, 2013. On Saturday, police in Ankara blocked a group of demonstrators from marching on parliament and the prime minister's office. ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images ( 520234660 )
Demonstrators stand in front of a make shift shield during clashes with Turkish riot police in central Ankara June 2, 2013. Erdogan accused Turkey's main secular opposition party on Sunday of stirring a wave of anti-government protests, as tens of thousands regrouped in Istanbul and Ankara after a lull and trouble flared again in the capital. Police used tear gas on protesters in Ankara but the clashes were relatively minor compared with major violence in Turkey's biggest cities on the previous two days. REUTERS/Umit Bektas ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
Demonstrators clash with Turkish riot police during a protest against Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party in central Ankara June 2, 2013. Erdogan accused Turkey's main secular opposition party on Sunday of stirring a wave of anti-government protests, as tens of thousands regrouped in Istanbul and Ankara after a lull and trouble flared again in the capital. Police used tear gas on protesters in Ankara but the clashes were relatively minor compared with major violence in Turkey's biggest cities on the previous two days. REUTERS/Umit Bektas ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
Protesters shout slogans from the windows of a building during a protest against Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in central Istanbul June 2, 2013. Erdogan accused Turkey's main secular opposition party on Sunday of stirring a wave of anti-government protests, as tens of thousands regrouped in Istanbul and Ankara after a lull and trouble flared again in the capital. Police used tear gas on protesters in Ankara but the clashes were relatively minor compared with major violence in Turkey's biggest cities on the previous two days. The banner at centre reads ''Long live our Taksim resistance". REUTERS/Murad Sezer ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
Demonstrators shout slogans during an anti-government protest at Taksim Square in central Istanbul June 2, 2013. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan accused Turkey's main secular opposition party on Sunday of stirring a wave of anti-government protests, as tens of thousands regrouped in Istanbul and Ankara after a lull and trouble flared again in the capital. REUTERS/Murad Sezer ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
Protestors gather on Taksim square on June 2, 2013, a day after Turkish police pulled out of Istanbul's iconic square following a second day of violent clashes between protesters and police over a controversial development project. Thousands of demonstrators flooded the site as police lifted the barricades around the park and began withdrawing from the square. What started as an outcry against a local development project has snowballed into widespread anger against what critics say is the government's increasingly conservative and authoritarian agenda. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520238685 )
Protesters attack an armored police vehicle during a protest against Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party in central Istanbul June 2, 2013. Erdogan accused Turkey's main secular opposition party on Sunday of stirring a wave of anti-government protests, as tens of thousands regrouped in Istanbul and Ankara after a lull and trouble flared again in the capital. Police used tear gas on protesters in Ankara but the clashes were relatively minor compared with major violence in Turkey's biggest cities on the previous two days. REUTERS/Murad Sezer ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
In this photo taken late Saturday, June 1, 2013, riot police fire, as they clash with protestors, near the former Ottoman palace, Dolmabahce, where Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan maintains an office in Istanbul, Turkey. Protests in Istanbul, Ankara and several other Turkish cities appear to have subsided Sunday, after days of fierce clashes following a police crackdown on a peaceful gathering as protesters denounced what they see as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian style. (AP Photo) ( CORRECTION Turkey Protest )
Protestors damage police cars in Taksim square on June 2, 2013, after the clashes . Turkish police on June 1 began pulling out of Istanbul's iconic Taksim Square, after a second day of violent clashes between protesters and police over a controversial development project. Thousands of demonstrators flooded the site as police lifted the barricades around the park and began withdrawing from the square. What started as an outcry against a local development project has snowballed into widespread anger against what critics say is the government's increasingly conservative and authoritarian agenda. OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images ( 520235352 )
Destroyed trucks and excavator are seen in worksite after clashes at the Taskim square in Istanbul, Sunday, June 2, 2013. Protests in Istanbul and several other Turkish cities appear to have subsided, after days of fierce clashes following a police crackdown on a peaceful gathering as protesters denounced what they see as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian style. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) ( Turkey Protest )
A flower vendor clears an area in front of his shop as Turkish and European Union flags hang over him at the Taskim square in Istanbul, Sunday, June 2, 2013. Protests in Istanbul and several other Turkish cities appear to have subsided, after days of fierce clashes following a police crackdown on a peaceful gathering as protesters denounced what they see as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian style. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) ( Turkey Protest )
A protestor throws a projectile as demonstrators clash with police on June 1, 2013, during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park, in Taksim Square in Istanbul. Turkish police on June 1 began pulling out of Istanbul's iconic Taksim Square, the scene of a second day of violent clashes between protesters and police over a controversial development project. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520214884 )
A bleeding protestor is assisted as demonstrators clash with riot police on June 1, 2013, during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park, in Taksim Square in Istanbul. Turkey police on June 1 began pulling out of Istanbul's iconic Taksim Square, the scene of a second day of violent clashes between protesters and police over a controversial development project. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520214864 )
Protesters pour water on a woman's head after she fell to the ground on June 1, 2013 during clashes with riot police against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park in Istanbul. Turkey police on June 1 began pulling out of Istanbul's iconic Taksim Square, the scene of a second day of violent clashes between protesters and police over a controversial development project. Thousands of demonstrators flooded the site as police lifted the barricades around the park and began withdrawing from the square. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520215923 )
Turkish riot police use water cannon to disperse demonstrators during a protest against the destruction of trees in a park brought about by a pedestrian project, in Taksim Square in central Istanbul May 31, 2013. REUTERS/Murad Sezer ( TURKEY/ )
A protester uses a slingshot against riot police on June 1, 2013 during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park in Istanbul. Turkey police on June 1 began pulling out of Istanbul's iconic Taksim Square, the scene of a second day of violent clashes between protesters and police over a controversial development project. Thousands of demonstrators flooded the site as police lifted the barricades around the park and began withdrawing from the square. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520215910 )
Some stores on Istiklal street are damaged by protestors on June 1, 2013, during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park, in Taksim Square in Istanbul. Police reportedly used tear gas to disperse a group, who were standing guard in Gezi Parki to prevent the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality from demolishing the last remaining green public space in the centre of Istanbul as a part of a major Taksim renewal project. At least a dozen people were injured. OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images ( 520211492 )
Protestors clash with Turkish riot policemen during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park on May 31, 2013, at Taksim in Istanbul. Police reportedly used tear gas on early May 31 to disperse a group, who were standing guard in Gezi Parki to prevent the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality from demolishing the last remaining green public space in the center of Istanbul as a part of a major Taksim renewal project. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520198672 )
Riot police on the scene where demonstrators were staging a sit-in to prevent the uprooting of trees at an Istanbul park, in Ankara, Turkey, early Saturday, June 1, 2013. Turkey's government on Saturday appeared to be trying to placate demonstrators on the second day of anti-government demonstrations, even as police let off more tear gas and pressurized water against protesters trying to reach a main square in Istanbul or the Parliament building in the capital, Ankara. The protests grew out of anger at heavy-handed police tactics to break up a peaceful sit-in by people trying to protect a park in Istanbul's main Taksim square on Friday. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) ( Turkey Protest )
An injured man reacts as riot police use tear gas and pressurized water to quash a peaceful demonstration by hundreds of people staging a sit-in protest to try and prevent the demolition of trees at an Istanbul park, Turkey, Friday, May 31, 2013. A number of protesters were injured. Police moved in at dawn Friday to disperse the crowd on the fourth day of the protest against a contentious government plan to revamp Istanbulís main square, Taksim. The protesters are demanding that the squareís park, Gezi, is protected. (AP Photo) ( Turkey Protest )
Protestors clash with Turkish riot policemen on May 31, 2013, during a protest against the demolition of the Taksim Gezi Park, in Taksim Square, in Istanbul. Police reportedly used tear gas to disperse a group, who were standing guard in Gezi Parki to prevent the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality from demolishing the last remaining green public space in the center of Istanbul as a part of a major Taksim renewal project. At least a dozen people were injured. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520199628 )
Demonstrators set fire to barricades as they clash with riot police during an anti-government protest at Taksim Square in central Istanbul May 31, 2013. Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday at demonstrators in central Istanbul, wounding scores of people and prompting rallies in other cities in the fiercest anti-government protests for years. REUTERS/Murad Sezer ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
An injured demonstrator is carried by his friends as they clash with riot police during an anti-government protest at Taksim Square in central Istanbul May 31, 2013. Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday at demonstrators in central Istanbul, wounding scores of people and prompting rallies in other cities in the fiercest anti-government protests for years. REUTERS/Murad Sezer ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
Turkish protestor clash with riot police early on the morning of May 31, 2013 as part of a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park, in Taksim Square in Istanbul. Police reportedly used tear gas on early May 31 to disperse a group, who were standing guard in Gezi Parki to prevent the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality from demolishing the last remaining green public space in the center of Istanbul as a part of a major Taksim renewal project.BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520183911 )
Turkish protestors clash with Turkish riot policemen during a clashing early in the morning during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park on May 31, 2013, at Taksim in Istanbul. Police reportedly used tear gas on early May 31 to disperse a group, who were standing guard in Gezi Parki to prevent the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality from demolishing the last remaining green public space in the center of Istanbul as a part of a major Taksim renewal project. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520183914 )
Women try to protect themselves as riot police use tear gas and pressurized water to quash a peaceful demonstration by hundreds of people staging a sit-in protest to try and prevent the demolition of trees at an Istanbul park, Turkey, Friday, May 31, 2013. A number of protesters were injured. Police moved in at dawn Friday to disperse the crowd on the fourth day of the protest against a contentious government plan to revamp Istanbulís main square, Taksim. The protesters are demanding that the squareís park, Gezi, is protected. (AP Photo) ( Turkey Protest )
A wounded woman is stretchered away on Taksim Square after clashes with riot police on May 31, 2013 during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park, in Taksim Square in Istanbul. Police reportedly used tear gas to disperse a group, who were standing guard in Gezi Parki to prevent the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality from demolishing the last remaining green public space in the center of Istanbul as a part of a major Taksim renewal project. Around 10 demonstrations have been wounded. OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images ( 520187769 )
Riot police shield themselves from stones thrown by protesters during an anti-government protest in central Istanbul June 1, 2013. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called for an immediate end on Saturday to the fiercest anti-government demonstrations for years, as thousands of protesters clashed with riot police in Istanbul and Ankara for a second day. REUTERS/Murad Sezer ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
A demonstrator throws a tear gas canister back at riot police during an anti-government protest in central Istanbul May 31, 2013. Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday at demonstrators in central Istanbul, wounding scores of people and prompting rallies in other cities in the fiercest anti-government protests for years. REUTERS/Murad Sezer ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
Protestors clash with Turkish riot policemen during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park on May 31, 2013, at Taksim in Istanbul. Police reportedly used tear gas on early May 31 to disperse a group, who were standing guard in Gezi Parki to prevent the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality from demolishing the last remaining green public space in the center of Istanbul as a part of a major Taksim renewal project. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520197552 )
Demonstrators help one another as Turkish riot policemen use tear gas to disperse clashes on May 31, 2013 during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park, in Taksim Square in Istanbul. Police reportedly used tear gas to disperse a group, who were standing guard in Gezi Parki to prevent the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality from demolishing the last remaining green public space in the center of Istanbul as a part of a major Taksim renewal project. At least a dozen people were injured. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520186013 )
Protestors clash with Turkish riot policemen during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park on May 31, 2013, in Taksim quarter of Istanbul. Police reportedly used tear gas on early May 31 to disperse a group, who were standing guard in Gezi Parki to prevent the Istanbul metropolitan municipality from demolishing the last remaining green public space in the center of Istanbul as a part of a major renewal project of Taksim. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520197401 )
Protesters prepare to roll a police car over during an anti-government protest at Taksim Square in central Istanbul June 1, 2013. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called for an immediate end on Saturday to the fiercest anti-government demonstrations for years, as thousands of protesters clashed with riot police in Istanbul and Ankara for a second day. REUTERS/Murad Sezer ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
Turkish youths, one with a national flag adorned with a poster of Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's founder, in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, June 1, 2013. Turkish police retreated from a main Istanbul square Saturday, removing barricades and allowing in thousands of protesters in a move to calm tensions after furious anti-government protests turned the city center into a battlefield. A second day of national protests over a violent police raid of an anti-development sit-in in Taksim square has revealed the depths of anger against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who many Turks view as increasingly authoritarian and dismissive of opposing views.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) ( Turkey Protest )
Protesters clash with riot police during an anti-government protest in central Istanbul June 1, 2013. Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon for a second day on Saturday to prevent hundreds of protesters reaching the central Taksim Square, scene of violent protests in which hundreds were injured on Friday. REUTERS/Murad Sezer ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
A young Turkish woman gestures in front of a water cannon spraying her, Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, June 1, 2013. Turkish police retreated from a main Istanbul square Saturday, removing barricades and allowing in thousands of protesters in a move to calm tensions after furious anti-government protests turned the city center into a battlefield. A second day of national protests over a violent police raid of an anti-development sit-in in Taksim square has revealed the depths of anger against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who many Turks view as increasingly authoritarian and dismissive of opposing views.(AP Photo/IHA) ( Turkey Protest )
A man is hit by a jet of water as riot police use a water cannon to disperse demonstrators during a protest against Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in central Ankara June 1, 2013. Erdogan made a defiant call for an end to the fiercest anti-government demonstrations in years on Saturday, as thousands of protesters clashed with riot police in Istanbul and Ankara for a second day. REUTERS/Umit Bektas ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
Riot police use tear gas to disperse the crowd during an anti-government protest at Taksim Square in central Istanbul May 31, 2013. Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday at demonstrators in central Istanbul, wounding scores of people and prompting rallies in other cities in the fiercest anti-government protests for years. REUTERS/Osman Orsal ( TURKEY-PROTESTS/ )
Protestors clash with Turkish riot policemen during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park on May 31, 2013, in Taksim quarter of Istanbul. Police reportedly used tear gas on early May 31 to disperse a group, who were standing guard in Gezi Parki to prevent the Istanbul metropolitan municipality from demolishing the last remaining green public space in the center of Istanbul as a part of a major renewal project of Taksim. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ( 520197439 )