Turkish anti-govt protesters tear-gassed

ISTANBUL: Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon yesterday at protesters occupying a park in central Istanbul, injuring scores in the latest violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.
The protest at Gezi Park started late on Monday after developers tore up trees but has widened into a broader demonstration against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Riot police recently clashed with tens of thousands of May Day protesters in Istanbul. There have also been protests against the government’s stance on the conflict in neighboring Syria, a recent tightening of restrictions on alcohol sales and warnings against public displays of affection.
Police staged a dawn raid on demonstrators who had been camping for days in Gezi Park in anger at plans to build a shopping mall, and clouds of tear gas rose around the area in Taksim Square that has long been a venue for political protest.
“We do not have a government, we have Tayyip Erdogan...Even AK Party supporters are saying they have lost their mind, they are not listening to us,” said Koray Caliskan, a political scientist at Bosphorus University who attended the protest. “This is the beginning of a summer of discontent.”
The Istanbul Medical Chamber said at least 100 people sustained minor injuries, some of them when a wall they were climbing collapsed.