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In pictures: Protests turn violent in Ankara

Protesters and police clash in the country’s capital, causing severe injuries and widespread damage to city property.

A young person uses a slingshot to target police after the crackdown on the Ankara demonstrators.
By Yotam Ronen
Published On 7 Jun 2013

Ankara, Turkey – In the past week, the wave of demonstrations that began in Taksim Square in Istanbul has spread to different cities across Turkey.

From the protesters’ standpoint, the demonstrations in Ankara, the nation’s capital, signify widespread frustration at the country’s overall direction. They see Turkey moving in a more conservative and Islamist direction, and have blamed the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Most of the demonstrators are young, western-oriented, and secular. They carry flags with the portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, regarded as the father of modern Turkey, and claim that Erdogan has forgotten the spirit on which Ataturk established the state.

On June 5, thousands of union members gathered in Ankara’s main square to protest. The demonstrations remained largely peaceful until police violently cracked down on the protesters late in the afternoon with tear gas and water cannons. Several people were injured, some severely, and scores were arrested.

Police arrest a young man at the end of a demonstration. Up to 3,300 people have been arrested since the protests first began.
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Security forces have deployed officers in large open spaces around Turkey(***)s capital to discourage protests from taking place.
The demonstrations have been largely peaceful during the day, but have often become violent at night.
A young woman holds a Turkish flag while blocking a main road in the centre of Ankara. Many of the protesters are young people who are more in-tune with Western values and disagree with recent government moves to prohibit alcohol in certain areas and public displays of affection.
Police officers take over Kizilay square, a central hub for tourism, trade, and city affairs in Ankara.
Protesters flee from a police water cannons. International human rights organisations have condemned the police response as excessive.
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People chant anti-government slogans, demanding prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other senior government officials to step down. While deputy prime minister Bluent Arnic has appeared conciliatory, Erdogan has remained confrontational. 
Police spray protesters with a water cannon as demonstrators take cover near a bank. "Turkey is not a second-class democracy," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told US Secretary of State John Kerry over the phone. 
The Ankara-based Human Rights Association says up to 1,000 people have been injured in protests.
Police officers charge at demonstrators in downtown Ankara.
A young man shows where he was hit by a plastic bullet, fired by Turkish police.