Turkish police have attacked anti-government protesters who thronged Istanbul�s Taksim Square despite a crackdown on demonstrations held to criticize Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan�s policies.
The police used water cannons and fired tear gas on Saturday to disperse thousands of people who returned to the city's central square for a memorial to those killed in anti-government protests over the past few weeks.

Video footage showed scuffles at the scene, with police charging at and chasing away protesters.

The security forces also arrested a number of people.

The demonstrators returned despite tight security and a massive police deployment, one day after clashes left one protester dead and several others injured in the Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Diyarbakir.

Istanbul has been the epicenter of anti-government demonstrations since May 31, when the police broke up a sit-in staged in Istanbul�s Taksim Square to protest against the plan to demolish Gezi Park.

Several people have been killed in the violent crackdown on peaceful protesters, who Erdogan has described as foreign-backed extremists and terrorists.

Earlier on Saturday, Turkish artists, journalists, and authors placed full-page advertisements in several newspapers, asking Erdogan to stop using divisive language.

�We are concerned. The 'you vs. us' rhetoric is sharpening the polarization of society,� the advertisement said.

�There is an air of frustration and hatred around,� it added.

By Press TV

 

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