Demonstrators have claimed victory following weekend of violent clashes with police, but Recep Tayyip Erdogan warns of retaliatory measures. Protesters chanted anti-government slogans at a demonstration in Istanbul after a week that saw protests against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park in Taksim Square intensify. Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was facing the biggest challenge to his 10-year rule this weekend as parts of Istanbul turned into a war zone. Violent clashes took place between riot police and tens of thousands of demonstrators outraged at the heavy-handed response of authorities to an environmental protest on Friday.
The eruption of frustration with Erdogan’s government has spread to a dozen other Turkish cities overnight and supporters gathered worldwide in Boston, London, Barcelona and Amsterdam to voice solidarity with the protesters.