Turkey protests: Clashes continue despite PM's warning

Turkish riot police using teargas and water cannon battled protesters for control of Taksim Square in Istanbul on Tuesday night, hours after the prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, demanded an immediate end to 10 days of demonstrations.

Istanbul's governor, Huseyin Avni Mutlu, declared on TV that police operations would continue day and night until the square, the focus of protests against Erdogan, was cleared.

Police fired volleys of teargas canisters into a crowd of thousands - people in office wear as well as youths in masks who had fought skirmishes throughout the day - scattering them into side streets and nearby hotels. Water cannon swept across the square.

The protesters, who accuse Erdogan of overreaching his authority after 10 years in power and three election victories, thronged the steep narrow lanes that lead down to the Bosphorus waterway. Many drifted back into the square and lit bonfires, only to be scattered by more teargas.

Mutlu said 30 people had been wounded on Tuesday and in a tweet he called on parents to get their children out of the park since their "safety could not be guaranteed".

Tensions remained extremely high as thousands of demonstrators streamed toward the city centre and police reinforcements were sent in.

The confrontation began just after dawn when hundreds of riot police on foot and in armoured crowd control vehicles approached the square.

While talks between Erdogan and representatives of the Taksim Square movement - handpicked by the prime minister - were reportedly going ahead, some of those who had been invited refused to attend in protest over police violence.

In dramatic scenes at the city's main courthouse - one of the biggest in Europe - more than 50 lawyers were dragged on to buses by police after staging a sit-in to support the protests. They were later released, according to Turkish media reports.

Erdogan sounded unapologetic and defiant in confronting the biggest challenge he has faced. "I am sorry but Gezi Park is for taking promenades, not for occupation," he said. "I invite all demonstrators, all protesters, to see the big picture and the game that is being played. Those who are sincere should withdraw. I expect this from them as their prime minister."

He attacked the international media for waging a "comprehensive" campaign aimed at sullying Turkey's image. Various unspecified international actors were determined to damage Turkey, he said.

What had started as an environmental protest aimed at saving an inner city park from being demolished to make way for an Ottoman-style shopping centre quickly snowballed into a nationwide display of anger at what is seen as Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian stance.

Inside the park, protesters were angry and disappointed about the police operation. "All this government does is lie," said Adnan Oruç, a 58-year-old electrician. "They speak live on television saying one thing, and I am here, witnessing the exact opposite of what they promised. That's why I am here. I cannot take their lies any more."

Police used loudspeakers to appeal to the protesters not to throw bottles or rocks, and promised not to intervene inside Gezi Park: "Friends, we don't want to harm anyone, we don't want anyone to get hurt. Please withdraw!"

"We don't trust the police or the promises of the government," said student Aras Özmen, 24, organising protesters through a walkie-talkie. "But we must remain calm. We don't want any fights with the police, that's not what we are here for."

Ahmet Aydin, 27, said: "They say that they want to clean up the square, but that's the job of the municipality, not of the police. The job of the police is to protect citizens, but instead, they attack us."

Hamdi, 29, an architect, said: "They try to split our group, they try to turn us against each other, but we will not let them. This has been a peaceful movement from the start, and it will remain so. We will deal with those who use violence to protest, we don't want them here. Gezi Park is no place to vent ideologies."

Some protesters could be seen trying to defuse tension several times both inside and outside the park, reminding others not to let themselves be provoked by police. Others wondered if the violent protests were partly staged. "The police, the media and some provocateurs had a nice little date this morning on Taksim Square," said IT specialist Cumhur, 31. "It was a very good show."

Erdogan has repeatedly dismissed the protesters as marginal groups - "bums and looters" - and blamed "foreign forces" and "terrorists" for the uprisings.

In the Capulcu Teahouse inside Gezi Park, four teachers sat at a small table. None wanted to give their name. "Isn't it terrible that we are afraid to speak to the press freely? This is what things have come to in Turkey," said one.

According to the Turkish Medical Association, almost 5,000 people have been wounded in the past 10 days ago. Three people have died. On Tuesday, several hundred people reportedly needed treatment in volunteer field infirmaries and hospitals, and at least one protester was said to be in critical condition.

Amnesty International said Turkey's prime minister was now "personally responsible for the violence" following his inflammatory speech.

The Gezi Park movement has been criticised by some for its lack of leadership. "This is a movement of civil society's dissent, and there are many groups with many demands and political views here," said Hamit Menemencioglu, 21, manning a stand distributing food and water. "Things might be easier if we had a leader, but many people here do not want that."

In the makeshift teahouse, one teacher argued that Gezi Park was sufficiently organised: "We have everything - food, shelter, doctors, media. There is no crime here, we collect our own rubbish. We are the people, and we know what we want, we don't need anyone to lead us."

They asked for the park to remain untouched, for governors and police chiefs in cities of extreme police violence to be dismissed, for freedom of demonstration and expression everywhere, for arrested protesters to be released immediately, and for teargas to be banned.

"No matter what they say, we will stay here until these demands are fulfilled. All we are asking for are democratic rights."

The protesters appeared determined not to yield to threats. "For a long time, our government has put pressure on us and we were afraid of them," said Ahmet Metin. "But now the roles have been reversed."