A protester throws back a tear gas canister at riot police during clashes between police and demonstrators in the streets adjacent to Taksim square in Istanbul, on June 16, 2013 (AFP Photo / Bulent Kilic)
Five people have been killed and thousands injured as Turkey is gripped by its biggest wave of anti-government protests in years. Ankara has been criticized for its crackdown on the protests, which it has attempted to downplay in the media.
15:20 GMT: Approximately 2.5 million people have taken to the streets across Turkey since May 31, when a harsh police crackdown against activist’s in Istanbul’s Gezi Park prompted mass nationwide anti-government protests, Hurriyet cites a report by the country’s Interior Ministry as saying.
Major protests were seen in 79 cities, with a majority of the demonstrations taking place in Ankara and Istanbul. Five people have reportedly been killed and around 4,000 injured – including 600 police officers – since the unrest began. Around 4,900 protesters have been detained. The report further says that some 58 public buildings and 337 private businesses were damaged, while 240 police vehicles, 214 private cars, 90 municipal buses and 45 ambulances were left unusable. The total damages are estimated in excess of $72 million.
23 June 2013
Source: http://rt.com/news
