Pertempuran di Istanbul sampai ke malam Taksim

Photo: AP Seorang gadis dipindahkan pada pengusung selepas polis rusuhan membanjiri Gazi Park dengan gas pemedih mata semasa pertempuran di Dataran Taksim di Istanbul Selasa, 11 Jun, 2013. Polis rusuhan yang-memasuki semula Taksim Square, Istanbul selepas penunjuk perasaan ingkar mengerumuni kembali oleh beribu-ribu. Plumes besar gas pemedih mata billowed ke atas, dan polis melepaskan tembakan meriam air malam Selasa.

Photo: AP A girl is evacuated on a stretcher after riot police flooded the Gazi Park with tear gas during clashes at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Riot police are re-entering Istanbul’s Taksim Square after defiant protesters swarmed back in by the thousands. Massive plumes of tear gas billowed upward, and police fired water cannons Tuesday night.

Pertempuran di Istanbul sampai ke malam Taksim

by JohnnyAdam | MADAyu@1WORLDCommunity

ISTANBUL (AP) - Polis rusuhan melepaskan gas pemedih mata, meriam air dan peluru getah dalam pertempuran sepanjang hari yang berlangsung ke awal pagi Rabu, melawan penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki pusat Taksim Square, Istanbul dan Taman Gezi bersebelahan dalam anti yang paling teruk di negara ini - protes kerajaan dalam beberapa dekad.

Krisis ini telah meninggalkan Perdana Menteri Recep Tayyip Erdogan yang terdedah buat pertama kali dalam dekad dalam kuasa dan mengugut untuk mencemarkan imej antarabangsa Turki, sebuah negara majoriti Islam dengan tradisi kuat sekular, ekonomi yang berkembang dan hubungan rapat dengan Amerika Syarikat.

Sepanjang protes, Erdogan telah mengekalkan nada ingkar, menegaskan beliau tidak akan tunduk dengan apa yang digambarkan sebagai minoriti vokal. Pada hari Selasa, kerana polis bertempur dengan penunjuk perasaan di Taksim, beliau menegaskan sekali lagi bahawa rusuhan itu adalah sebahagian daripada konspirasi terhadap kerajaan.

Penunjuk perasaan, beliau berkata, "sedang digunakan oleh beberapa institusi kewangan, lobi kadar faedah dan kumpulan media kepada ekonomi (bahaya) Turki dan (menakutkan) pelaburan."

Satu demonstrasi aman terhadap pembangunan semula taman itu yang bermula lebih daripada 2 minggu yang lalu telah berkembang menjadi satu ujian besar dalam kuasa Erdogan, yang dicetuskan oleh kemarahan atas tindakan keras polis ganas pada 31 Mei terhadap taman ‘sit-in’ aman.

Rusuhan telah merebak ke 78 bandar di seluruh negara, dengan penunjuk perasaan yang memperjuangkan bantahan mereka terhadap apa yang mereka katakan adalah gaya semakin autoritarian Perdana Menteri dan cubaan beliau dilihat untuk mengenakan gaya hidup agama dan konservatif di negara yang mempunyai undang-undang sekular - dia menolak caj itu.

4 orang terbunuh, termasuk seorang anggota polis, dan kira-kira 5,000 telah dirawat untuk kecederaan atau kesan-kesan gas pemedih mata, menurut Yayasan Hak Asasi Manusia Turki. Beribu-ribu polis bergerak awal hari ini, menolak sekatan lalu spontan ditubuhkan oleh penunjuk perasaan yang telah mengerumuni melalui persegi besar dan berpuluh-puluh ribu di taman dalam 12 hari yang lalu.

Polis menembak berulang pusingan gas pemedih mata yang meningkat dalam kepulan asap berbisa menusuk hidung dari dataran dalam menjalankan pertempuran dengan kumpulan penunjuk perasaan melemparkan bunga api, botol, batu-batu dan ‘firebombs’ dalam permainan kucing-dan-tetikus yang berlangsung sepanjang hari dan malam .

Lebih daripada 30,000 berhimpun di dataran sekali lagi sebagai senja jatuh dan telah ditolak oleh meriam air, peluru getah dan gas pemedih mata selepas Gabenor Istanbul, Huseyin Avni Mutlu, kata polis itu datang di bawah serangan dari "Kumpulan yang kecil."

Pada awal pagi Rabu, krew pembersihan telah berpindah ke Taksim Square, penjelasan runtuhan dan membuka pusat-pusat perlindungan sementara penunjuk perasaan telah ditubuhkan.

Penunjuk perasaan menubuhkan penghadang pagar logam dan kenderaan musnah di pinggir dataran menuju ke Gezi Park, di mana beratus-ratus kembali walaupun pusingan berulang gas pemedih mata yang ditembak ke tengah-tengah mereka. Takut kecederaan, ramai penunjuk perasaan yang menulis jenis darah mereka di lengan mereka dengan pen penanda.

Kawasan ini bergema dengan gema meletup kanister gas pemedih mata ke dalam malam, manakala sukarelawan diangkut yang cedera untuk menunggu ambulans. Gezi Park, dengan beribu-ribu daripada berkhemah keluar penunjuk perasaan tua dan muda, telah menjadi simbol protes. Kedua-dua gabenor dan polis pada mulanya berjanji bahawa Dataran Taksim hanya akan dibersihkan, bukan taman.

Tetapi lewat malam, gabenor menunjukkan polis menyapu banyak ketegagan adalah yang berlaku. "Kami akan membuka persegi apabila segala-galanya menormalkan di kawasan itu, dan keselamatan kita memaksa sepenuhnya mengawal kawasan itu," kata Mutlu Saluran berita Haber.

"Anak-anak kita yang tinggal di Gezi Park berisiko, kerana kita akan membersihkan kawasan kumpulan kecil," katanya, merujuk kepada apa yang kerajaan telah berkata adalah pengacau di kalangan penunjuk perasaan.

"Kami tidak akan membenarkan kerajaan kita dilihat sebagai lemah." Di ibu negara, Ankara, polis melepaskan meriam air dan gas pemedih mata untuk menyuraikan beratus-ratus penunjuk perasaan - beberapa batu melontar - yang berkumpul di simpati dengan rakan-rakan Istanbul mereka.

Pada awal pagi Rabu, polis berpindah ke Kugulu Park di mana penunjuk perasaan telah berkhemah. Mereka membuat berpuluh-puluh penunjuk perasaan berkemas khemah-khemah mereka, dan hujah-hujah yang berlaku dengan orang-orang tidak bersedia untuk bergerak.

Pertempuran Selasa datang sehari selepas Taksim melihat perhimpunan kecil sejak demonstrasi bermula. Kerajaan telah berkata Erdogan akan bertemu dengan beberapa orang-orang yang menghuni taman pada hari Rabu untuk mendengar pandangan mereka.

Erdogan, seorang Muslim yang taat, berkata, dia komited kepada undang-undang sekular Turki dan menafikan tuduhan secara autoritarian. Ketika dia mempertahankan pendirian tegas, dia memberikan pengkritik sedikit harapan perubahan dalam kedudukannya.

"Adakah kita sepatutnya untuk berlutut di hadapan mereka dan berkata, 'Sila keluarkan kepingan anda dari kain?" Soalnya, merujuk kepada berpuluh-puluh sepanduk dan bendera penunjuk perasaan telah dihiasi di dataran. "Mereka boleh menghubungi saya yang teruk, tetapi ini Tayyip Erdogan tidak akan berubah."

Yakin kedudukannya kuasa selepas memenangi pilihan raya lalu pada tahun 2011 dengan 50% peratus undi, Erdogan telah menegaskan beliau akan guna pakai. Beliau menyatakan dengan jelas bahawa beliau telah sampai ke penghujung kesabaran dengan penunjuk perasaan, yang dia dituduh ‘sullying’ imej Turki di luar negara dan menjadi ‘vandals’ dan pengacau.

"Bagi orang-orang yang berada di . . . Taksim dan di tempat lain yang mengambil bahagian dalam demonstrasi dengan perasaan ikhlas:. Saya menyeru kepada anda untuk meninggalkan tempat-tempat dan berakhir insiden-insiden ini dan saya menghantar anda kasih saya Tetapi bagi mereka yang ingin meneruskan kejadian yang saya katakan: "Ia sudah berakhir. 'Sehingga kini kita tidak mempunyai toleransi bagi mereka."

"Bukan sahaja kita akan menamatkan tindakan, kami akan berada di leher yang  Provocateurs’ dan pengganas, dan tiada siapa yang akan pergi dengan itu," katanya.

Susan Fraser, Jamey Keaten dan Ezgi Akin menyumbang dari Ankara, Turki.

Photo: AP Rusuhan polis berlindung di belakang perisai mereka di tengah-tengah asap gas pemedih mata semasa pertempuran di Taksim Square di Istanbul, Turki, Selasa, 11 JUN, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan di tengah-tengah Taksim Square, Istanbul awal hari ini, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP Riot policemen take cover behind their shields amid tear gas smoke during clashes in Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in Istanbul's central Taksim Square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP Seorang lelaki berjalan membawa alat pemadam api lalu van yang terbakar semasa pertempuran di Dataran Taksim di Istanbul selasa 11 Jun, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan pada awal persegi Selasa, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP A man runs carrying fire extinguishers past a burning van during clashes at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in the square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP penunjuk perasaan membentangkan bawah kenderaan meriam air polis kerana cuba yang lain untuk menarik keluar kepadanya dalam satu operasi polis untuk memindahkan Taksim Square di Istanbul selasa, 11 Jun, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan pada awal persegi Selasa, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP A protester lays under a wheel of a police water cannon as other tries to pull out him during a police operation to evacuate Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in the square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP Hial, seorang pekerja kaunter penyambut tetamu hotel, memakai topeng gas semasa bercakap di telefon, selepas lobi hotel, di luar Gazi Park telah dibanjiri dengan gas pemedih mata semasa pertempuran di Dataran Taksim di Istanbul Selasa Jun 11, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan pada awal persegi Selasa, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP Hial, a hotel reception employee, wears a gas mask while speaking on the phone, after the hotel lobby, outside Gazi Park was flooded with tear gas during clashes at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in the square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP Pegawai polis menembak peluru getah dalam satu operasi untuk memindahkan Taksim Square di Istanbul Selasa, 11 Jun, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan pada awal persegi Selasa, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP Police officer fires rubber bullets during an operation to evacuate Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in the square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP Ambulans berdiri dengan untuk memindahkan penunjuk perasaan cedera selepas polis rusuhan dibanjiri Park Gazi dengan gas pemedih mata semasa pertempuran di Dataran Taksim di Istanbul selasa Jun 11, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan pada awal persegi Selasa, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP Ambulances stand by to evacuate injured protesters after riot police flooded the Gazi Park with tear gas during clashes at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in the square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP Turki rusuhan polis mendakwa terhadap penunjuk perasaan semasa pertempuran di Ankara, Turki, Selasa, 11 Jun, 2013. Turki Perdana Menteri Recep Tayyip Erdogan akan bertemu dengan kumpulan penunjuk perasaan menduduki pusat Taksim Square, Istanbul minggu ini, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Bulent Arinc berkata Isnin, kerana kerajaan mencari jalan keluar daripada kebuntuan yang telah membawa kepada beratus-ratus bantahan dalam berpuluh-puluh bandar-bandar .

Photo: AP Turkish riot police charge toward protesters during clashes in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with a group of protesters occupying Istanbul's central Taksim Square this week, Deputy Prime minister Bulent Arinc said Monday, as the government sought a way out of the impasse that has led to hundreds of protests in dozens of cities.

Photo: AP Polis menembak gas pemedih mata dalam satu operasi untuk mengosongkan Dataran Taksim di Istanbul Selasa JUN 11, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan pada awal persegi Selasa, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP Police fires tear gas during an operation to evacuate the Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in the square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP Taksim Square dibanjiri oleh gas pemedih mata sebagai pertempuran antara penunjuk perasaan dan polis rusuhan terus ke malam di Istanbul Selasa, 11 JUN, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan pada awal persegi Selasa, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP Taksim Square is flooded by tear gas as clashes between protesters and riot police continue into the night in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in the square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP Seorang penjual makanan jalanan memakai gogal untuk melindungi diri daripada gas pemedih mata ketika berdiri di sebelah kereta semasa pertempuran antara polis rusuhan Turki dan penunjuk perasaan di Ankara, Turki, Selasa Jun 11, 2013. Turki Perdana Menteri Recep Tayyip Erdogan akan bertemu dengan kumpulan penunjuk perasaan menduduki pusat Taksim Square, Istanbul minggu ini, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Bulent Arinc berkata Isnin, kerana kerajaan mencari jalan keluar daripada kebuntuan yang telah membawa kepada beratus-ratus bantahan dalam berpuluh-puluh bandar-bandar.

Photo: AP A street food vendor wears goggles to protect himself from tear gas while standing next to his cart during clashes between Turkish riot police and protesters in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with a group of protesters occupying Istanbul's central Taksim Square this week, Deputy Prime minister Bulent Arinc said Monday, as the government sought a way out of the impasse that has led to hundreds of protests in dozens of cities.

Photo: AP Polis menembak gas pemedih mata pada permulaan operasi untuk memindahkan Taksim Square di Istanbul Selasa 11 Jun, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan pada awal persegi Selasa, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP Police fires teargas at the start of an operation to evacuate Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in the square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP Polis beroperasi terhadap penunjuk perasaan semasa pertempuran di Dataran Taksim di Istanbul selasa 11 Jun, 2013 Polis rusuhan yang-memasuki semula Dataran Taksim Istanbul selepas penunjuk perasaan ingkar mengerumuni kembali oleh beribu-ribu.. Plumes besar gas pemedih mata billowed ke atas, dan polis melepaskan tembakan meriam air malam Selasa.

Photo: AP Police operates against protesters during clashes at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013 .Riot police are re-entering Istanbul’s Taksim Square after defiant protesters swarmed back in by the thousands. Massive plumes of tear gas billowed upward, and police fired water cannons Tuesday night.

Photo: AP penunjuk perasaan memegang kakinya selepas cedera dari kanister gas pemedih mata semasa operasi polis untuk memindahkan Taksim Square di Istanbul SELASA, 11 Jun, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan pada awal persegi Selasa, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP A protester holds his leg after being injured from a teargas canister during a police operation to evacuate Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in the square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP Sebuah bom petrol bom petrol meletup pada air polis trak meriam semasa pertempuran di Taksim Square di Istanbul, Turki, Selasa, 11 Jun, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan di tengah-tengah Taksim Square, Istanbul awal hari ini, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP A petrol bomb petrol bomb explodes on a police water cannon truck during clashes in Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in Istanbul's central Taksim Square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP Penunjuk perasaan berjalan untuk mengelakkan gas pemedih mata yang lain membakar benteng semasa pertempuran di Dataran Taksim di Istanbul pada Selasa, 11 JUN, 2013. Polis rusuhan yang-memasuki semula Taksim Square, Istanbul selepas penunjuk perasaan ingkar mengerumuni kembali oleh beribu-ribu. Plumes besar gas pemedih mata billowed ke atas, dan polis melepaskan tembakan meriam air malam Selasa.

Photo: AP Protesters run to avoid the tear gas as others set fire a barricade during clashes at the Taksim Square in Istanbul on Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Riot police are re-entering Istanbul’s Taksim Square after defiant protesters swarmed back in by the thousands. Massive plumes of tear gas billowed upward, and police fired water cannons Tuesday night.

Photo: AP trak meriam air polis sedang terbakar selepas penunjuk perasaan membaling bom petrol semasa operasi polis di Dataran Taksim di Istanbul Selasa, 11 Jun, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis dalam gear rusuhan terpaksa melalui sekatan pada awal persegi Selasa, menolak banyak penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki persegi selama lebih daripada satu minggu ke dalam sebuah taman berdekatan.

Photo: AP A police water cannon truck is on fire after protesters threw a petrol bomb during a police operation at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in the square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park.

Photo: AP Polis membuang gas pemedih mata pada penunjuk perasaan semasa pertempuran di Dataran Taksim di Istanbul Selasa JUN 11, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis rusuhan Mekah penghadang spontan di Taksim Square, Istanbul pada hari Selasa, menembak gas pemedih mata, peluru getah dan meriam air dalam menjalankan pertempuran dengan penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki kawasan itu selama lebih daripada seminggu.

Photo: AP Police throw tear gas at protesters during clashes at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of riot police overran improvised barricades at Istanbul's Taksim Square on Tuesday, firing tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon in running battles with protesters who have been occupying the area for more than a week.

Photo: AP penunjuk perasaan merakamkan video dengan telefon bimbit di hadapan benteng yang terbakar semasa pertempuran di Taksim persegi di Istanbul, selasa 11 Jun, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis rusuhan Mekah penghadang spontan di Taksim Square, Istanbul pada hari Selasa, menembak gas pemedih mata, peluru getah dan meriam air dalam menjalankan pertempuran dengan penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki kawasan itu selama lebih daripada seminggu.

Photo: AP A protester records a video with his cellphone in front of a burning barricade during clashes in Taksim square in Istanbul, Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of riot police overran improvised barricades at Istanbul's Taksim Square on Tuesday, firing tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons in running battles with protesters who have been occupying the area for more than a week.

Photo: AP Polis membuang gas pemedih mata pada penunjuk perasaan semasa pertempuran di Dataran Taksim di Istanbul Selasa JUN 11, 2013. Polis rusuhan yang-memasuki semula Taksim Square, Istanbul selepas penunjuk perasaan ingkar mengerumuni kembali oleh beribu-ribu. Plumes besar gas pemedih mata billowed ke atas, dan polis melepaskan tembakan meriam air malam Selasa.

Photo: AP Police throw tear gas at protesters during clashes at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Riot police are re-entering Istanbul’s Taksim Square after defiant protesters swarmed back in by the thousands. Massive plumes of tear gas billowed upward, and police fired water cannons Tuesday night.

Photo: AP Beberapa penunjuk perasaan berjalan untuk mengelakkan anggota polis semasa pertempuran di Dataran Taksim di Istanbul Selasa, 11 Jun, 2013. Beratus-ratus polis rusuhan Mekah penghadang spontan di Taksim Square, Istanbul pada hari Selasa, menembak gas pemedih mata, peluru getah dan meriam air dalam menjalankan pertempuran dengan penunjuk perasaan yang telah menduduki kawasan itu selama lebih daripada seminggu.

Photo: AP A couple of protesters run to avoid a policeman during clashes at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of riot police overran improvised barricades at Istanbul's Taksim Square on Tuesday, firing tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon in running battles with protesters who have been occupying the area for more than a week.

Clashes in Istanbul extend into night in Taksim

ISTANBUL (AP) - Riot police fired tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets in day-long clashes that lasted into the early hours Wednesday, battling protesters who have been occupying Istanbul's central Taksim Square and its adjacent Gezi Park in the country's most severe anti-government protests in decades.

The crisis has left Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan looking vulnerable for the first time in his decade in power and has threatened to tarnish the international image of Turkey, a Muslim majority country with a strongly secular tradition, a burgeoning economy and close ties with the United States.

Throughout the protests, Erdogan has maintained a defiant tone, insisting he would not be bowed by what he described as a vocal minority. On Tuesday, as police clashed with protesters in Taksim, he insisted again that the unrest was part of a conspiracy against his government.

The demonstrators, he said, " are being used by some financial institutions, the interest rate lobby and media groups to (harm) Turkey's economy and (scare away) investments." A peaceful demonstration against the park's redevelopment that began more than two weeks ago has grown into the biggest test of Erdogan's authority, sparked by outrage over a violent police crackdown on May 31 against a peaceful sit-in in the park.

The unrest has spread to 78 cities across the country, with protesters championing their objections to what they say is the prime minister's increasingly authoritarian style and his perceived attempts to impose a religious and conservative lifestyle on a country with secular laws - charges he rejects.

Four people have been killed, including a policeman, and about 5,000 have been treated for injuries or the effects of tear gas, according to the Turkish Human Rights Foundation. Thousands of police moved in early Tuesday, pushing past improvised barricades set up by the protesters who have swarmed through the massive square and park in the tens of thousands for the past 12 days.

Police fired repeated rounds of tear gas that rose in stinging plumes of acrid smoke from the square in running battles with groups of protesters hurling fireworks, bottles, rocks and firebombs in a cat-and-mouse game that lasted through the day and into the night.

More than 30,000 converged on the square again as dusk fell and were repelled by water cannon, rubber bullets and tear gas after Istanbul's governor, Huseyin Avni Mutlu, said the police came under attack from "marginal groups."

By the early hours of Wednesday, cleanup crews had moved into Taksim Square, clearing the debris and dismantling the makeshift shelters the protesters had set up. Protesters set up barricades of metal railings and smashed vehicles at the edge of the square leading into Gezi Park, where hundreds returned despite repeated rounds of tear gas being fired into their midst. Fearing injury, many protesters scrawled their blood type on their forearms with marker pens.

The area reverberated with the echoes of exploding tear gas canisters into the night, while volunteers ferried the injured to waiting ambulances. Gezi Park, with its thousands of camped-out demonstrators young and old, has become the symbol of the protests. Both the governor and the police initially promised that only Taksim Square would be cleared, not the park.

But late into the night, the governor indicated a more muscular police sweep was imminent. "We will open the square when everything normalizes in the area, and our security forces completely control the area," Mutlu told A Haber news channel. "Our children who stay at Gezi Park are at risk, because we will clean the area of the marginal groups," he said, referring to what the government has said are troublemakers among the protesters.

"We won't allow our government to be seen as weak." In the capital, Ankara, police fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse several hundred protesters - some throwing stones - who gathered in sympathy with their Istanbul counterparts. In the early hours of Wednesday, police moved in to Kugulu Park where protesters had been camping. They made dozens of protesters pack up their tents, and arguments broke out with those unwilling to move.

Tuesday's clashes came a day after Taksim saw its smallest gathering since the demonstrations began. The government had said Erdogan would meet with some of those occupying the park on Wednesday to hear their views.

Erdogan, a devout Muslim, says he is committed to Turkey's secular laws and denies charges of an authoritarian manner. As he defended his tough stance, he gave critics little hope of a shift in his position.

"Were we supposed to kneel before them and say, 'Please remove your pieces of rags?'" he asked, referring to the dozens of banners and flags the protesters had festooned in the square. "They can call me harsh, but this Tayyip Erdogan won't change."

Confident of his position of power after winning the last elections in 2011 with 50 percent of the vote, Erdogan has insisted he will prevail. He made it clear that he has come to the end of his patience with the protesters, whom he accused of sullying Turkey's image abroad and being vandals and troublemakers.

"To those who ... are at Taksim and elsewhere taking part in the demonstrations with sincere feelings: I call on you to leave those places and to end these incidents and I send you my love. But for those who want to continue with the incidents I say: 'It's over.' As of now we have no tolerance for them."

"Not only will we end the actions, we will be at the necks of the provocateurs and terrorists, and no one will get away with it," he added.

Susan Fraser, Jamey Keaten and Ezgi Akin contributed from Ankara, Turkey.