Clashes in Turkey

Clashes between police and anti-government protesters have killed at least four people and injured thousands more. Mass arrests have also taken place during a police crackdown on demonstrations. Protests started at the end of May at Istanbul's Taksim Square, and Turkey has not been able to catch its breath ever since as tear gas and water cannons face off against Molotov cocktails and stones.

Istanbul's governor, Huseyin Avni Mutlu, tried to justify the clamp down on protesters, saying the protesters' takeover of Taksim Square "tarnished the country's image before the eyes of the world." He also said it was "marginal groups" that gathered to protest. In Istanbul, at times, more than 100,000 people took to the streets. People in other Turkish cities joined in the protests.

Resistance started when people protested peacefully against government plans to cut down a dozen trees in Gezi Park, right next to Taksim Square, to make room for a new shopping center. The park is one of the few green areas left in Istanbul's city center. When the first trees fell, activists put up tents to save the remaining trees.

The demonstrations in Gezi Park were brutally put down by police at the end of May. They used water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray on the protesters.

Police tried to stop demonstrators from entering Istanbul's Taksim Square. According to doctors, hundreds of people were injured on May 31 alone; some of them lost their eyesight. That fueled protests even further and tens of thousands of people came out to demonstrate against the government.

People in other Turkish cities joined in the demonstrations and the protests turn into a political affair. People started taking to the streets in Turkey's capital, Ankara, the western Turkish city of Izmir and even in touristic centers in Turkey's south. Every protest repeated the same images: Tear gas, water cannons, injured people.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government have been put on the spot: His Islamic-Conservative party is increasingly being described as authoritarian. Demonstrators feel their freedom has been limited by restrictive laws. Erdogan confirmed construction plans for Istanbul's Gezi Park and initially chose to ignore the demands of the people.

The rallies have become quite creative as different theater groups and artists cme along to Taksim Square and perform. People in Gezi Park demonstrate in various ways: some practice yoga, others make music; even classical music can be heard. Many here want to oppose violence by being peaceful.

But the violence goes on. And there is one picture that makes headlines: It shows Ceyda Sungur, who works at Istanbul's Technical University. As the "lady in red," she unintentionally became a symbol after a police officer sprayed her with tear gas from close range. She collapsed quickly after but returned to the park the next day.

The demonstrators keep up with the police. They build barricades - and use everything that's in their reach and improvise. They distribute masks; some of them try to protect themselves against water cannons and tear gas by using diving goggles.

Police uses modern equipment on the protesters and continue to fight them in central areas in Turkish cities. In addition to battles on the streets, police arrest people who have called on people to join the protests on Twitter.

Upon his return from a trip to northern Africa, Erdogan was greeted by his supporters in Ankara. The prime minister warned protesters all over Turkey that the time for patience would be over soon and said there were "extremists, some of them implicated in terrorism" among the protesters.

In the meantime, protests have expanded beyond Turkey as the whole world observes events thanks to media reports and social networks. People in New York, Athens, Berlin and other cities have taken to the streets to express solidarity.

What started as a demonstration to save trees in Istanbul has grown to a protest movement all over Turkey. An end to protests is not likely to be happening soon. According to media reports, Erdogan has said he had agreed to meet activists on Wednesday (12.06.2013) for the first time to talk.