Story highlights
- Turkey and its under-fire prime minister are allies of the West and NATO
- But peaceful protests have spread and grown beyond the original issue
- The prime minister now says he wants to talk with legitimate protesters
Turkey is one of the main regional players, a strong NATO partner and for decades a key ally to the West, vital in crises such as Iran, Syria and Iraq.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a deep personal and political bond with President Barack Obama and many Western leaders in Europe. He was one of the first leaders Obama visited after his inauguration and Erdogan was at the White House in May, just before the protests started, when Syria was the focus of their attention.
Now, we are hours into a standoff between protesters and police in Taksim Square in Istanbul. This started almost two weeks ago with peaceful environmental protests by people who said they were opposing a government plan to turn a park into a mall development.
Since then we have seen the protests spread across the country and to the capital, Ankara, with police using water cannon and tear gas and protesters throwing Molotov cocktails and fireworks.
Photos: Photos: Demonstrations in Turkey
Photos: Photos: Demonstrations in Turkey
Demonstrations in Turkey – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the deputies of his ruling Justice and Development Party during a meeting with Turkish parliament on Tuesday, June 18. Erdogan said he had no intention of restricting anyone's democratic rights. "If you want to make a protest do it, do it, but do it within the framework of law," he said.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Turkish performance artist Erdem Gunduz, center, is joined by others as he makes his silent protest in Taksim Square. As word of his gesture of protest spread, Gunduz became known as the "standing man." Protests that began as a demonstration against the planned demolition of a park have grown into general anti-government dissent across the nation.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – People carry the coffin of Ethem Sarisuluk, who was killed during recent protests in Turkey, on Sunday, June 16, in Ankara.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Tens of thousands attend a rally to hear Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speak in Istanbul on June 16, a day after he ordered a crackdown on anti-government protesters at Gezi Park.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester faces water cannons during a clash with police at an anti-government demonstration in Ankara on June 16.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Police walk through tear gas during protests at Kizilay Square in central Ankara on June 16.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Police detain protesters after a crackdown on a demonstration at Istanbul's Gezi Park on June 16.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester runs during clashes between riot police and demonstrators in the streets adjacent to Taksim Square in Istanbul on Sunday, June 16.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester throws a tear gas canister back at riot police during clashes near Taksim Square on June 16.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Trash containers burn in front of riot police forces in Ankara, Turkey, on June 16.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters gather in the main shopping street near Taksim Square in the early morning hours of June 16 as riot police clear Gezi Park in Istanbul.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Turkish riot police officers use rubber bullets on June 15 to disperse demonstrators in Gezi Park in Istanbul on June 15.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters scramble for safety as Turkish riot police officers push them out of Gezi Park using tear gas and rubber bullets.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters run for cover as riot police spray them with a water cannon on June 15.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester throws rocks at police during clashes at the entrance of Gezi Park on June 15.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester on June 15, reacts in pain to a salvo of tear gas fired by Turkish riot police chasing out demonstrators in order to dismantle their tent camp in Gezi Park in Istanbul.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Riot police move in a line through the tent camp on June 15.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters escape from tear gas during the crackdown at Gezi Park on June 15.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protestors fire fireworks as police drive them out of Gezi Park on June 15.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters sleep in Gezi Park in Istanbul's Taksim Square early Thursday, June 13. Turkey's prime minister on Thursday called on protesters camped out in the park to pack up and leave.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A man plays piano for hundreds of protesters in Taksim Square on Wednesday, June 12, in Istanbul.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A man waves a flag in Taksim Square on June 12.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A man sleeps in Gezi Park in Istanbul's Taksim Square early on June 12, hours after riot police moved into the square in an attempt to push demonstrators out.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Municipal workers clean up a street in Taksim Square early on June 12, after police moved in to disperse protesters.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester prepares to throw a tear gas canister back toward police in Taksim Square on Tuesday, June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Riot police fire tear gas canisters at protesters in Taksim Square on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – People run from a tear gas cloud in Taksim Square on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – People flee as riot police fire tear gas on Taksim Square on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters run behind a barricade during clashes with police on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester throws a tear gas canister back toward police on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Photographers crowd around a protester posing in front of a riot police vehicle at Taksim Square on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters seek shelter behind a barricade on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters try to run from riot police on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Riot police aim a water cannon at a protester as others take cover behind a makeshift shelter in Taksim Square on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Police enter Taksim Square during clashes with protesters on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters take cover behind a barricade in Gezi Park in Istanbul on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester uses a slingshot to throw stones at riot police on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters take cover behind a barricade in Taksim Square on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester holds fireworks during clashes with riot police in Istabul on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Riot police use water cannons and tear gas to disperse a crowd near Istabul's Taksim Square on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester throws a tear gas canister back toward police on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Riot police fire tear gas at demonstrators in Taksim Square on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Police fire a water cannon at protesters on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters hold molotov cocktails in Taksim Square on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester throws a stone during clashes with riot police on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters run from smoke as they clash with police in Istanbul on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters take cover behind a barricade as fireworks go off nearby on June 11.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Medics carry Yasin Ayhan, 23, a protester who broke his leg in a raid early Monday, June 10, in Kugulu Park. Riot police doused thousands of protesters in Ankara with tear gas and jets of water for a second straight night.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters sleep at Taksim Square in central Istanbul on June 10. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned protesters who have taken to the streets demanding his resignation that his patience has its limits and compared the unrest with an army attempt six years ago to curb his power.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A demonstrator is detained by police officers as protests resumed in Kizilay Square in Ankara on Sunday, June 9.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A demonstrator covers his face with a makeshift gas mask during protests in Kizilay Square in Ankara on June 9.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and his wife, Emine, wave to supporters upon their arrival in Ankara on June 9. Erdogan told supporters that "even patience has an end" as he went on the offensive against mass protests that have consumed Ankara and Istanbul.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Erdogan addresses supporters from the top of a bus as police stand guard at Esenboga International Airport in Ankara on June 9.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters gather during a demonstration at Taksim Square in Istanbul, on June 9.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A demonstrator runs toward police during clashes with riot police in Istanbul, on Saturday, June 8.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Demonstrators shout slogans as they gather at Kizilay Square in Ankara, Turkey, on June 8.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Women sing as people gather at Kizilay Square in Ankara on June 8.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters rest in Gezi Park next to Taksim Square during a demonstration in Istanbul on Friday, June 7.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the opening session of the Ministry for European Union Affairs Conference on June 7 in Istanbul. Erdogan said today his Islamic-rooted government was open to "democratic demands" and hit back at EU criticism of his government's handling of a week of unrest.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Supporters of Erdogan wave the Turkish flag upon the prime minister's arrival in Istanbul, on June 7.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protestors dance at Gezi Park in Taksim Square on Thursday, June 6.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A man walks past damaged buses near Taksim Square on Thursday, June 6, in Istanbul, Turkey.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A mother and her daughter read notes placed by protestors on a destroyed car in Taksim Square on June 6. Thousands of striking union members joined the anti-government protests on June 5, marching in Istanbul and Ankara in a sea of red and white union flags, drumming and yelling for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resign.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protestors spend their day at Gezi Park on June 6.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protestors demonstrate near the office building of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul early on June 6.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A municipal worker collects garbage set on fire by Turkish protesters in a restaurant district of Ankara on June 5.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A woman is wheeled away by paramedics during clashes on Kizilay Square in Ankara on Wednesday, June 5.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters confront police forces during riots in a restaurant district of Ankara, on June 5.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Demonstrators run for cover as police use water cannons and tear gas on the crowd in Ankara on June 5.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters gather in Taksim Square as they shout slogans while protesting on Tuesday, June 4, in Istanbul, Turkey.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Riot police fire tear gas at demonstrators in Istanbul on June 4.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Paramedics carry a woman injured during clashes between demonstrators and riot police in Istanbul on June 4.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Turkish police detain a demonstrator during clashes in Istanbul on June 4.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester looks on during clashes with Turkish police outside of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office, near Taksim Square in Istanbul on Tuesday, June 4.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Demonstrators wave their national flag on June 4, during a protest in Ankara.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters cover their faces with plastic. After chaotic scenes in the streets Monday that continued late into the night and sent tear gas wafting through the air, the situation was relatively calm on Tuesday morning in Istanbul's central Taksim Square, near the park where the movement began.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A demonstrator takes cover at a road block between Taksim and Besiktas in Istanbul on June 4.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters clash with riot police between Taksim and Besiktas in Istanbul on Monday, June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protestors pass bricks for building barricades during clashes with riot police in Istanbul on June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Riot policemen unload tear gas during clashes in Istanbul on June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters throw riot police's tear gas back at them in Istanbul on June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protester wounds are treated during clashes in Istanbul on June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Demonstrators set up road blocks between Taksim and Besiktas. Barricades remain up around the square, and Erdogan's opponents appear determined to continue the demonstrations despite the prime minister's comment on June 3 that he expects the situation to return to normal "within a few days."
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A medical team tends to a protester. The Turkish Medical Association claimed that at least 3,195 people had been injured in clashes on June 1 and June 2. Only 26 of them were in serious or critical condition, it said.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters stand atop a pile of rubble during clashes with Turkish police on Monday, June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Turkish riot police fire tear gas canisters to disperse protesters near Taksim Square on June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Police officers tend to a demonstrator during the violent clashes in Istanbul on June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester waves the Turkish flag from a rooftop at Taksim Square on June 3 as large crowds continue to demonstrate below.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester wears a gas mask as smoke from a burned car fills the air at Taksim Square on June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Despite Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call for calm on Monday, June 3, protests continued in Istanbul. Protesters carry the Turkish flag and shout against the government in Gezi Park near central Istanbul.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – After protests that lasted until the early morning, a protester sleeps in a damaged and vandalized vehicle in Taksim Square on June 3. Protests showed no sign of letting up on Monday, almost a week after a peaceful sit-in was met with a police crackdown, igniting the biggest anti-government riots the city has seen in a decade.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A tired protester rests in front of the graffiti-sprayed wall of an information booth at Taksim Square in central Istanbul on June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Turkish protesters clash with riot police near the prime minister's office between Taksim and Besiktas early June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters drive an excavator toward Turkish riot police as they make their way to Erdogan's office on June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – During the clashes, volunteer doctors helped injured protesters in a mosque on June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester is silhouetted by a burning car at Taksim Square during clashes in the early morning of June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester covers his face on June 3 near Erdogan's office in Istanbul.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters clash with riot police in Istanbul on June 3.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters gather in Taksim Square in Istanbul on Sunday, June 2.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Riot police fire tear gas during a protest against Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party in central Ankara on June 2. Sparked by the events in Istanbul, general anti-government protests have sprung up in Ankara.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Demonstrators hide behind makeshift shields during clashes with Turkish riot police in Ankara on June 2.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Police use a water cannon to disperse protesters outside Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's working office in Istanbul on June 2.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters cling to a police vehicle mounted with a water canon in Istanbul on June 2.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Turkish police detain a protester during demonstrations in Ankara on June 2.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A protester flashes a victory sign as he takes part in a demonstration in Ankara on Saturday, June 1 in support of the protests in Istanbul against government plans to demolish a park.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters clash with riot police in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, June 1.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters clash with riot police near Gezi Park on June 1. Earlier this week, several dozen activists tried to stage a sit-in at the park, the last bit of green space left in Istanbul's Taksim Square, the city's transit and commercial hub.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Turkish protesters wearing gas masks face off against riot police near Istanbul's Taksim Square on June 1.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Riot police use tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd of demonstrators on June 1.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A man flees the clashes between Turkish protestors and riot police on June 1. On Friday, May 31, riot police stormed the growing camp in Gezi Park with water cannons and tear gas, pushing protesters into surrounding streets and triggering the clashes that have continued for more than 24 hours.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – The clashes damaged surrounding businesses in Istanbul and forced them to close on June 1.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A man catches his breath behind the line where clashes are taking place on June 1.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A pair of tourists gasp for air as riot police use tear gas and water cannons the fend off the demonstrators. Turkish security forces allowed small groups of pedestrians to travel through the square.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protesters buy gas masks from a local shop near the square on June 1.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Riot police fire tear gas into the crowd of protesters overnight on Friday, May 31.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Demonstrators set up barricades and build a fire as they clash with Turkish officers on May 31.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Friends carry an injured protester on May 31. More than a dozen people have been injured in the clashes.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Riot police use tear gas and water cannons to disperse a crowd at Taksim Square on May 31.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – An activist wearing a gas mask is enveloped in a cloud of tear gas on May 31.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A crowd scatters during clashes on May 31, as one demonstrator throws back the tear gas canister that was launched by riot police.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – Protestors brace themselves as they are fired upon with a water canon by Turkish police forces.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A large group of demonstrators gather to protest the demolition of Gezi Park in Taksim Square on May 31.
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Demonstrations in Turkey – A Turkish riot policeman uses tear gas in Taksim Square on May 28.
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Erdogan's chief adviser on protests 10:56
CNN reporters in midst of protests 02:56
Clashes intensify in Turkey 04:01
Arwa Damon: People in Turkey angry 03:12
Erdogan left the country on a North African trip shortly after the protests began and by all accounts was taken by surprise, this being the first major challenge to his rule. He is now in his third term and has been in power for more than a decade.
After all the progress he has brought to Turkey -- sidelining the very intrusive military from politics, instituting democratic reform and reforming the police and judiciary -- there are many Turks who believe he has grown too authoritarian and arrogant.
There is a sense among Turkey's young business and secular elite that he is not listening anymore.
At first Erdogan dismissed the protesters as louts and riff raff. He then said he would talk to some of them -- those who he said were the "legitimate protesters."
He has condemned the people he says have joined this movement and hijacked it. He says they are trying to undermine Turkey, trying to damage its booming economy and trying to give the country a bad name.
Erdogan's chief adviser Ibrahim Kalin said protesters will be allowed to stay in Gezi Park adjacent to Taksim Square, but not in the square itself which is a major commercial thoroughfare integral to the workings of Istanbul.
He said Erdogan is willing to talk to the protesters on Wednesday but the question remains; Will they be able to separate out what they see as the legitimate and the illegitimate protesters?
