Police Crackdown Triggers Anti-Government Riots
After a day of clashes with police, demonstrators in Turkey’s largest city on Saturday were finally allowed to stream into a public square that had spurred the unrest.
A peaceful sit-in on Friday against government plans to demolish a park was met with a police crackdown, igniting the biggest anti-government riots this city has seen in a decade.
The clashes subsided Saturday afternoon, when police allowed protesters to pour into the square.
Protests spread to several other cities, including the capital Ankara and the port city of Izmir.
At least 14 people were injured in the clashes in Istanbul, including one who suffered brain trauma, the Istanbul governor’s office said.