Turkish police crack down on demonstrators on anniversary of anti-government protests

Source: Toronto Star

Police used tear gas and water cannon on Saturday to push back crowds of protesters who gathered in Istanbul and Ankara on the anniversary of last year’s nationwide anti-government demonstrations.



Injured protesters lie on the ground as Turkish riot police officers fire tear gas to disperse demonstrators gathered on the central Istoklal avenue near Taksim square in Istanbul, on May 31. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

By: Desmond Butler And Suzan Fraser The Associated Press, Published on Sat May 31 2014

ISTANBUL—Police used tear gas and water cannon on Saturday to push back crowds of protesters who defied a warning by Turkey’s prime minister and gathered in Istanbul and Ankara on the anniversary of last year’s nationwide anti-government demonstrations.

Riot police fired tear gas on hundreds of protesters on a main pedestrian street leading to Istanbul’s main square, Taksim, following a stand-off with police. Clashes also erupted in the capital Ankara, where police used water cannons against a group of stone-throwing protesters.

Dogan new agency video footage showed police, some in plain clothes, detaining several people in the two cities.

Large numbers of police blocked access to Taksim, and news reports earlier said authorities planned to deploy some 25,000 police officers and up to 50 anti-riot water cannon vehicles around the city to thwart the demonstrations. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned activists to keep away from the square, saying authorities were under strict orders to prevent protests.

Read more: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/05/31/turkey_pm_warns_of_crackdown_on_anniversary_of_antigovernment_protests.html