Saturday's violence came a day after police clashed with protesters, wounding scores of people [AFP]
|
|
Police in the Turkish city of Istanbul have fired tear gas and water cannons against a group of protesters trying to reach a main square during a second day of anti-government demonstrations. At least a thousand people had earlier marched across Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge from the Asian side of the Turkish city to support the anti-government protests. Saturday's violence came a day after police clashed with demonstrators in central Istanbul, wounding scores of people. At least 60 people were detained on Friday, as thousands of demonstrators massed on streets surrounding Istanbul's central Taksim Square, long a venue for political unrest. Broken glass and rocks were strewn across a main shopping street near the square. The protest at Taksim's Gezi Park started late on Monday after trees were torn up over a government redevelopment plan but has widened into a broader demonstration against what they see as an increasingly authoritarian government. "The protesters are saying that this is not about trees anymore," said Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh, reporting from Istanbul. Growing disquiet The unrest reflects growing disquiet at Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's administration and his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party. There have been protests against the government's stance on the conflict in neighbouring Syria, a tightening of restrictions on alcohol sales and warnings against public displays of affection. However, Erdogan has overseen a transformation in Turkey during his decade in power, turning its economy from crisis-prone into Europe's fastest-growing. Per capita income has tripled in nominal terms since his party rose to power. He also remains by far Turkey's most popular politician, and is widely viewed as its most powerful leader since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the modern secular republic on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire 90 years ago. Erdogan is pushing ahead with a slew of multi-billion-dollar projects which he sees as embodying Turkey's emergence as a major power. They include a shipping canal, a giant mosque and a third Istanbul airport billed to be one of the world's biggest. |