Calm returned to Istanbul’s Taksim Square early Wednesday, hours after riot police used tear gas and water cannons to clear demonstrators after almost two weeks of clashes. Only a handful of protesters remained in Gezi Park, the small tree-lined part of the square that has been turned into a makeshift camp for opponents of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Tuesday’s violent [...] → Read the full article…

Turkish riot police have forcibly removed throngs of protesters from Istanbul’s Taksim Square after nearly two weeks of demonstrations. Beginning Tuesday and lasting overnight, officers fired tear gas and water cannons into a crowd of thousands of people, forcing them to disperse. Thousands of demonstrators also faced tear gas and water cannons in the capital Ankara. It was the most [...] → Read the full article…

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Wednesday said images of demonstrators in Istanbul being chased down by riot police were “disturbing” and warned that the Turkish government was sending the “wrong message”. Reacting after Turkish security forces retook control of Taksim Square, the flashpoint of nationwide unrest, Westerwelle urged Ankara to respect the rights of free speech and assembly. “The [...] → Read the full article…

A barrage of tear gas canisters light up the night sky before slamming into a wall of white-clad demonstrators on the periphery of Istanbul’s Taksim Square. Emre Elmekci has a Kurdish keffiyah wrapped around his head and goggles and a heavy-duty mask strapped to his face. Flanked by Turkish nationalists on one side and leftists on the other, Elmekci throws [...] → Read the full article…

http://occupygezicoverage.blogspot.be/ 11 June 2013

“Several dozen Turkish riot police have entered Gezi Park, Reuters reports citing witnesses. The riot police were gathered in an area on the fringes of the park and there was no immediate sign of them moving to take apart tents and shelters or remove banners and flags. Journalist Emre Peker says police later withdrew.” Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/11/turkey-police-move-into-taksim-square#block-51b706d0e4b0f749db72ad5e