Story highlights
NEW: Riot police move water cannon to Ankara square
Deputy prime minister apologizes for police aggression in initial protests
Public-sector unions join demonstrations against Erdogan
He says the demonstrations are the work of "extreme elements"
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(CNN) —
A top Turkish official apologized for the “police aggression” that fueled nationwide protests against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as trade unions threw their weight behind the demonstrations Tuesday.
The 240,000-member KESK confederation of public-sector workers called for a two-day strike to protest what it called the “fascism” of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party. The protests began over plans to replace an Istanbul park with a new development, but spread nationwide after a heavy-handed crackdown by police.
After chaotic scenes in the streets Monday that continued late into the night and sent tear gas wafting through the air, the situation was relatively calm Tuesday in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, near the park where the protest movement began, and in the capital Ankara.
Riot police around Ankara’s central Kizilay Square brought in armored vehicles topped with water cannon in a show of force Tuesday evening, but the demonstrations throughout the day were calm.
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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the deputies of his ruling Justice and Development Party during a meeting with Turkish parliament on Tuesday, June 18. Erdogan said he had no intention of restricting anyone's democratic rights. "If you want to make a protest do it, do it, but do it within the framework of law," he said.
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ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
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Turkish performance artist Erdem Gunduz, center, is joined by others as he makes his silent protest in Taksim Square. As word of his gesture of protest spread, Gunduz became known as the "standing man." Protests that began as a demonstration against the planned demolition of a park have grown into general anti-government dissent across the nation.
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MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
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People carry the coffin of Ethem Sarisuluk, who was killed during recent protests in Turkey, on Sunday, June 16, in Ankara.
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ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
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Tens of thousands attend a rally to hear Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speak in Istanbul on June 16, a day after he ordered a crackdown on anti-government protesters at Gezi Park.
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A protester faces water cannons during a clash with police at an anti-government demonstration in Ankara on June 16.
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ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
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Police walk through tear gas during protests at Kizilay Square in central Ankara on June 16.
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DADO RUVIC/reuters/LANDOV
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Police detain protesters after a crackdown on a demonstration at Istanbul's Gezi Park on June 16.
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Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images
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A protester runs during clashes between riot police and demonstrators in the streets adjacent to Taksim Square in Istanbul on Sunday, June 16.
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BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images
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A protester throws a tear gas canister back at riot police during clashes near Taksim Square on June 16.
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Trash containers burn in front of riot police forces in Ankara, Turkey, on June 16.
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ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
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Protesters gather in the main shopping street near Taksim Square in the early morning hours of June 16 as riot police clear Gezi Park in Istanbul.
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Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images
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Turkish riot police officers use rubber bullets on June 15 to disperse demonstrators in Gezi Park in Istanbul on June 15.
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MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
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Protesters scramble for safety as Turkish riot police officers push them out of Gezi Park using tear gas and rubber bullets.
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MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
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Protesters run for cover as riot police spray them with a water cannon on June 15.
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MURAD SEZER/Reuters/LANDOV
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A protester throws rocks at police during clashes at the entrance of Gezi Park on June 15.
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YANNIS BEHRAKIS/Reuters/LANDOV
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A protester on June 15, reacts in pain to a salvo of tear gas fired by Turkish riot police chasing out demonstrators in order to dismantle their tent camp in Gezi Park in Istanbul.
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Riot police move in a line through the tent camp on June 15.
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MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
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Protesters escape from tear gas during the crackdown at Gezi Park on June 15.
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Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images
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Protestors fire fireworks as police drive them out of Gezi Park on June 15.
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Protesters sleep in Gezi Park in Istanbul's Taksim Square early Thursday, June 13. Turkey's prime minister on Thursday called on protesters camped out in the park to pack up and leave.
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A man plays piano for hundreds of protesters in Taksim Square on Wednesday, June 12, in Istanbul.
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Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images
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A man waves a flag in Taksim Square on June 12.
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A man sleeps in Gezi Park in Istanbul's Taksim Square early on June 12, hours after riot police moved into the square in an attempt to push demonstrators out.
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ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP/Getty Images
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Municipal workers clean up a street in Taksim Square early on June 12, after police moved in to disperse protesters.
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A protester prepares to throw a tear gas canister back toward police in Taksim Square on Tuesday, June 11.
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Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images
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Riot police fire tear gas canisters at protesters in Taksim Square on June 11.
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People run from a tear gas cloud in Taksim Square on June 11.
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People flee as riot police fire tear gas on Taksim Square on June 11.
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Protesters run behind a barricade during clashes with police on June 11.
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A protester throws a tear gas canister back toward police on June 11.
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Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images
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Photographers crowd around a protester posing in front of a riot police vehicle at Taksim Square on June 11.
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Protesters seek shelter behind a barricade on June 11.
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Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images
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Protesters try to run from riot police on June 11.
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Riot police aim a water cannon at a protester as others take cover behind a makeshift shelter in Taksim Square on June 11.
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Police enter Taksim Square during clashes with protesters on June 11.
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Protesters take cover behind a barricade in Gezi Park in Istanbul on June 11.
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A protester uses a slingshot to throw stones at riot police on June 11.
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Protesters take cover behind a barricade in Taksim Square on June 11.
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A protester holds fireworks during clashes with riot police in Istabul on June 11.
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Riot police use water cannons and tear gas to disperse a crowd near Istabul's Taksim Square on June 11.
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Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images
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A protester throws a tear gas canister back toward police on June 11.
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Riot police fire tear gas at demonstrators in Taksim Square on June 11.
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Police fire a water cannon at protesters on June 11.
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Protesters hold molotov cocktails in Taksim Square on June 11.
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A protester throws a stone during clashes with riot police on June 11.
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Protesters run from smoke as they clash with police in Istanbul on June 11.
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Protesters take cover behind a barricade as fireworks go off nearby on June 11.
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Medics carry Yasin Ayhan, 23, a protester who broke his leg in a raid early Monday, June 10, in Kugulu Park. Riot police doused thousands of protesters in Ankara with tear gas and jets of water for a second straight night.
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ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
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Protesters sleep at Taksim Square in central Istanbul on June 10. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned protesters who have taken to the streets demanding his resignation that his patience has its limits and compared the unrest with an army attempt six years ago to curb his power.
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MURAD SEZER/reuters/LANDOV
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A demonstrator is detained by police officers as protests resumed in Kizilay Square in Ankara on Sunday, June 9.
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MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
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A demonstrator covers his face with a makeshift gas mask during protests in Kizilay Square in Ankara on June 9.
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ARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and his wife, Emine, wave to supporters upon their arrival in Ankara on June 9. Erdogan told supporters that "even patience has an end" as he went on the offensive against mass protests that have consumed Ankara and Istanbul.
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Erdogan addresses supporters from the top of a bus as police stand guard at Esenboga International Airport in Ankara on June 9.
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ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
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Protesters gather during a demonstration at Taksim Square in Istanbul, on June 9.
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A demonstrator runs toward police during clashes with riot police in Istanbul, on Saturday, June 8.
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Demonstrators shout slogans as they gather at Kizilay Square in Ankara, Turkey, on June 8.
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Women sing as people gather at Kizilay Square in Ankara on June 8.
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Protesters rest in Gezi Park next to Taksim Square during a demonstration in Istanbul on Friday, June 7.
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Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the opening session of the Ministry for European Union Affairs Conference on June 7 in Istanbul. Erdogan said today his Islamic-rooted government was open to "democratic demands" and hit back at EU criticism of his government's handling of a week of unrest.
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STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images
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Supporters of Erdogan wave the Turkish flag upon the prime minister's arrival in Istanbul, on June 7.
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Uriel Sinai/Getty Images
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Protestors dance at Gezi Park in Taksim Square on Thursday, June 6.
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A man walks past damaged buses near Taksim Square on Thursday, June 6, in Istanbul, Turkey.
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A mother and her daughter read notes placed by protestors on a destroyed car in Taksim Square on June 6. Thousands of striking union members joined the anti-government protests on June 5, marching in Istanbul and Ankara in a sea of red and white union flags, drumming and yelling for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resign.
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Protestors spend their day at Gezi Park on June 6.
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Uriel Sinai/Getty Images
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Protestors demonstrate near the office building of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul early on June 6.
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A municipal worker collects garbage set on fire by Turkish protesters in a restaurant district of Ankara on June 5.
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MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
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A woman is wheeled away by paramedics during clashes on Kizilay Square in Ankara on Wednesday, June 5.
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MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
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Protesters confront police forces during riots in a restaurant district of Ankara, on June 5.
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MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
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Demonstrators run for cover as police use water cannons and tear gas on the crowd in Ankara on June 5.
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MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
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Protesters gather in Taksim Square as they shout slogans while protesting on Tuesday, June 4, in Istanbul, Turkey.
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Riot police fire tear gas at demonstrators in Istanbul on June 4.
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Paramedics carry a woman injured during clashes between demonstrators and riot police in Istanbul on June 4.
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Turkish police detain a demonstrator during clashes in Istanbul on June 4.
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A protester looks on during clashes with Turkish police outside of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office, near Taksim Square in Istanbul on Tuesday, June 4.
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Demonstrators wave their national flag on June 4, during a protest in Ankara.
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Protesters cover their faces with plastic. After chaotic scenes in the streets Monday that continued late into the night and sent tear gas wafting through the air, the situation was relatively calm on Tuesday morning in Istanbul's central Taksim Square, near the park where the movement began.
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Uriel Sinai/Getty Images
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A demonstrator takes cover at a road block between Taksim and Besiktas in Istanbul on June 4.
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Protesters clash with riot police between Taksim and Besiktas in Istanbul on Monday, June 3.
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Protestors pass bricks for building barricades during clashes with riot police in Istanbul on June 3.
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Riot policemen unload tear gas during clashes in Istanbul on June 3.
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Protesters throw riot police's tear gas back at them in Istanbul on June 3.
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Protester wounds are treated during clashes in Istanbul on June 3.
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Demonstrators set up road blocks between Taksim and Besiktas. Barricades remain up around the square, and Erdogan's opponents appear determined to continue the demonstrations despite the prime minister's comment on June 3 that he expects the situation to return to normal "within a few days."
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A medical team tends to a protester. The Turkish Medical Association claimed that at least 3,195 people had been injured in clashes on June 1 and June 2. Only 26 of them were in serious or critical condition, it said.
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Protesters stand atop a pile of rubble during clashes with Turkish police on Monday, June 3.
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Turkish riot police fire tear gas canisters to disperse protesters near Taksim Square on June 3.
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Police officers tend to a demonstrator during the violent clashes in Istanbul on June 3.
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A protester waves the Turkish flag from a rooftop at Taksim Square on June 3 as large crowds continue to demonstrate below.
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A protester wears a gas mask as smoke from a burned car fills the air at Taksim Square on June 3.
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Despite Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call for calm on Monday, June 3, protests continued in Istanbul. Protesters carry the Turkish flag and shout against the government in Gezi Park near central Istanbul.
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After protests that lasted until the early morning, a protester sleeps in a damaged and vandalized vehicle in Taksim Square on June 3. Protests showed no sign of letting up on Monday, almost a week after a peaceful sit-in was met with a police crackdown, igniting the biggest anti-government riots the city has seen in a decade.
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A tired protester rests in front of the graffiti-sprayed wall of an information booth at Taksim Square in central Istanbul on June 3.
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Turkish protesters clash with riot police near the prime minister's office between Taksim and Besiktas early June 3.
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Protesters drive an excavator toward Turkish riot police as they make their way to Erdogan's office on June 3.
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During the clashes, volunteer doctors helped injured protesters in a mosque on June 3.
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A protester is silhouetted by a burning car at Taksim Square during clashes in the early morning of June 3.
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A protester covers his face on June 3 near Erdogan's office in Istanbul.
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Protesters clash with riot police in Istanbul on June 3.
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Protesters gather in Taksim Square in Istanbul on Sunday, June 2.
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Riot police fire tear gas during a protest against Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party in central Ankara on June 2. Sparked by the events in Istanbul, general anti-government protests have sprung up in Ankara.
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Demonstrators hide behind makeshift shields during clashes with Turkish riot police in Ankara on June 2.
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Police use a water cannon to disperse protesters outside Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's working office in Istanbul on June 2.
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Protesters cling to a police vehicle mounted with a water canon in Istanbul on June 2.
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Turkish police detain a protester during demonstrations in Ankara on June 2.
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A protester flashes a victory sign as he takes part in a demonstration in Ankara on Saturday, June 1 in support of the protests in Istanbul against government plans to demolish a park.
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Protesters clash with riot police in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, June 1.
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Protesters clash with riot police near Gezi Park on June 1. Earlier this week, several dozen activists tried to stage a sit-in at the park, the last bit of green space left in Istanbul's Taksim Square, the city's transit and commercial hub.
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Turkish protesters wearing gas masks face off against riot police near Istanbul's Taksim Square on June 1.
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Riot police use tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd of demonstrators on June 1.
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A man flees the clashes between Turkish protestors and riot police on June 1. On Friday, May 31, riot police stormed the growing camp in Gezi Park with water cannons and tear gas, pushing protesters into surrounding streets and triggering the clashes that have continued for more than 24 hours.
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BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
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The clashes damaged surrounding businesses in Istanbul and forced them to close on June 1.
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A man catches his breath behind the line where clashes are taking place on June 1.
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A pair of tourists gasp for air as riot police use tear gas and water cannons the fend off the demonstrators. Turkish security forces allowed small groups of pedestrians to travel through the square.
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Protesters buy gas masks from a local shop near the square on June 1.
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Riot police fire tear gas into the crowd of protesters overnight on Friday, May 31.
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Demonstrators set up barricades and build a fire as they clash with Turkish officers on May 31.
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Friends carry an injured protester on May 31. More than a dozen people have been injured in the clashes.
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Riot police use tear gas and water cannons to disperse a crowd at Taksim Square on May 31.
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An activist wearing a gas mask is enveloped in a cloud of tear gas on May 31.
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A crowd scatters during clashes on May 31, as one demonstrator throws back the tear gas canister that was launched by riot police.
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Protestors brace themselves as they are fired upon with a water canon by Turkish police forces.
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A large group of demonstrators gather to protest the demolition of Gezi Park in Taksim Square on May 31.
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GURCAN OZTURK/AFP/Getty Images)
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A Turkish riot policeman uses tear gas in Taksim Square on May 28.
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Osman Orsal/Reuters/Landov
The protests have morphed into larger complaints against Erdogan, who has led Turkey for 10 years. His critics call him paternalistic and authoritarian, accusing him of accumulating more and more power and growing less tolerant of dissent. In Istanbul, the crowds have been chanting “Tayyip resign” – referring to Erdogan – and “shoulder to shoulder against fascism.”
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Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc apologized Tuesday “for the police aggression against our citizens who were involved in the initial protests and acted with environmental concern,” Turkey’s semiofficial Anadolu news agency reported. He said security forces had been ordered to only use gas in self-defense.
“They are doing a hard job. When they are executing their jobs, they may sometimes use extraordinary, even excessive, use of force. But they wait in a passive mode unless something comes from the other side,” Arinc said.
And he added, “I don’t think we owe an apology to those who caused destruction on the streets and who interfered with people’s freedom.”
The Turkish Medical Association said that at least 3,195 people were injured in clashes Sunday and Monday, with 26 in serious or critical condition. Most of the injuries were in Istanbul.
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One protester, Mehmet Ayvalitas, died of his injuries, the medical association said. And the governor of Hatay in southeastern Turkey said that a 22-year-old man, Abdulah Comert, was killed with a firearm by unknown people during demonstrations late Monday, Anadolu reported.
Erdogan’s opponents appear determined to continue the demonstrations despite the prime minister’s comment Monday that he expects the situation to return to normal “within a few days.” Erdogan, who left the country Monday on a four-day trip to North Africa, has responded by dismissing the demonstrations as the work of “extreme elements” and marginal groups.
“My smart citizens will recognize this, then they will give them the right lesson,” he said Monday.
The protests began after plans were made to raze Gezi Park, the last green space in central Istanbul, and replace it with a replica of 19th-century Ottoman barracks. The development would contain a shopping mall.
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What began as a sit-in by a handful of angry residents quickly grew into a larger protest. Riot police moved in, using tear gas and pepper spray. Protesters responded by hurling bottles, setting up barricades, blocking bulldozers and burning trash in the middle of the street.
Then, outraged by the behavior of security forces, demonstrators began attacking police.
International groups including Amnesty International have criticized the police response as excessive. In Ankara on Sunday night, a CNN crew witnessed authorities roughing up at least one protester. One police officer kicked a CNN videographer, CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh reported, and a CNN crew in Istanbul on Sunday also witnessed bloodied protesters.
The protests have spread to 67 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, according to Anadolu. While Erdogan has maintained a defiant tone, Turkish President Abdullah Gul sounded a conciliatory note Monday, saying “the messages sent in good faith have been received.”
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Hugh Pope, a senior Turkey analyst with the International Crisis Group, called the protests “completely unprecedented” and said Erdogan was caught off guard. Most demonstrators, Pope said, are “overwhelmingly ordinary people” who simply want their voices heard.
“However, there are other demonstrators who are somewhat more opportunistic in the left-wing factions who normally don’t get much in the way of airtime in Turkey and are camped on Taksim Square,” Pope said.
Erdogan has defiantly praised his government’s accomplishments in overseeing a decade of strong economic growth in Turkey. His party has won the past three elections, most recently securing 49.95% of the vote in 2011.
“What you have is essentially a large group of Turks who feel alienated from this government, in power for 10 years,” said Richard Haass, a Middle East analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.
“It’s increasingly a one-party country. All the politics happen within it. The opposition is weak, divided, feckless,” he said. “You have a lot of people in Turkey who feel both alienated and intimidated by the government, and this is the way they decided to push back.”
CNN’s Ivan Watson and Talia Kayali contributed to this report.