Via al Jazeera:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/05/2013531112443894367.htmlRiot police in Istanbul used tear gas and water cannon to rout a peaceful demonstration by hundreds of people staging a sit-in to prevent the demolition of what many are calling the city's last green public space.
The demonstrators occupied the Gezi park since May 28 to prevent bulldozers from completing the demolition, part of the government's redevelopment plan for central Taksim Square.
Several protesters were injured on Friday when a wall they climbed collapsed during a police chase, and a prominent journalist was hospitalised after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister, the private Dogan news agency reported.
Police moved in to disperse the crowd on the fourth day of the protest against a government plan to revamp the square. Officers then clashed with angry demonstrators in surrounding areas.
Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh, reporting from Istanbul, said many protesters complained that the police were firing teargas indiscriminately.
"We saw a lot of tourists running to different directions. People are trying to take refuge at coffee shops and the homes around the area. Police have been firing tear gas in different directions," Rageh said.
"Certainly the predominant complain here is that police are firing teargas indiscriminately. But they are also coming under attack from protesters. You can see them with rocks and there are injuries here."
More at link, including video.
This story is confusing. The protest has been attributed to various groups over the course of the morning.
