Turkish Riot Police Break up New Taksim Protest

Local Editor

Protest platform 'Solidarity with Taksim' has roundly condemned police violence during the latest demonstrations in Istanbul and announced that they would continue taking to the streets.

Under the slogan "Enough is enough", their statement stated that the senseless violence carried out in the previous days makes it clear that the conservative government continues to promote its anti-citizen policies.

On Saturday afternoon, police forces used pressure hoses and tear gas to clear away a peaceful demonstration of thousands of people who had congregated in Taksim square.
Members of the security force pursued protesters until well into the night, through surrounding streets. Some witnesses told that they were detained.

'Solidarity with Taksim' called on the city's population to enter Gezi park, situated next to the square, on Saturday afternoon. The park was closed off by police.

Istanbul governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu had declared the protest illegal beforehand. Gezi park became a symbols of the protests carried out five weeks ago across the country, due to government plans to build on one of the last green spaces left in the city.

Turkish Halk TV showed protesters standing in front of riot police, displaying a copy of a court decision canceling a plan for a replica Ottoman-era barracks on Taksim Square. The plan is one of a string of projects fostered by Erdogan, including a canal parallel to the Bosphorus waterway, and a huge international airport .

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team