The battle for
Taksim Square continues:
Hundreds of riot police clashed with protesters in Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Tuesday, as protests against the government of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan intensified.
The latest violence began Tuesday morning when police moved past barriers erected by the protesters and into the square to scatter a small number of people who have been camped there to protest against a planned redevelopment of the square.
Hundreds more protesters nearby - many wearing gas masks - joined to charge toward police, throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks. Police responded with round after round of tear gas canisters and frequent blasts from water cannons.
Video of
police moving in:
Meanwhile, an estimated 50 lawyers who gathered at an Istanbul courthouse to release a press statement were seen being "brutally arrested." You can listen to an audio interview with a lawyer who witnessed the arrests here.
From the eyewitness account:
Lawyer Fatma Elif Koru described the ‘brutal’ arrest of 49 of her colleagues as they presented a press statement at Istanbul's Çağlayan court.
Elif told a Guardian reporter: "We were just gathering to make a press statement about Gezi Park and then the police attacked. It was very brutal. Now 49 lawyer friends are in custody and many are injured.
They even kicked their heads, the lawyers were on the ground. They were hitting us they were pushing. They built a circle around us and then they attacked.
Video of the arrests at the courthouse:
Better video here (unable to embed due to autoplay.)