Turkey: Police fire tear gas at protesters in 10th day of unrest

Turkey: Police fire tear gas at protesters in 10th day of unrest

Turkish police in Ankara and Istanbul have fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters early on Sunday, the 10th consecutive day of unrest.

Late Saturday in Ankara, protesters slowly moved closer to the United States Embassy, burning barricades nearby as clashes broke out with police.

In Istanbul, thousands of demonstrators continue to occupy the city’s central Taksim Square, marching, chanting and raising signs that call for the prime minister to step down. Protest-related violence has killed at least three people and wounded thousands since the demonstrations began.

The protesters remain defiant of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has called for an immediate end to demonstrations. Erdogan’s governing AK party on Saturday rejected protesters’ calls for early elections.

The protests were sparked more than a week ago by government plans to tear down a public park in Istanbul for new construction.  Erdogan has so far refused to scrap those plans.

Demonstrations have taken place in major Turkish cities in response to what a growing number of Turks see as Erdogan’s authoritarian government.