Britons warned to steer clear of Turkey as 1,700 protesters arrested after riots rock the country for a third day



Protests erupted again today against Turkey's conservative government

Thousands took to the streets in rallies and demonstrations in three cities

Britons warned to avoid all but essential travel to parts of Turkey



The Foreign Office has warned against travel to various parts of Turkey except in cases of emergency following another day of rioting.

Tens of thousands took to the streets in the country’s four biggest cities yesterday – the third day of anti-government protests – with demonstrators clashing with riot police, who repelled them with tear gas.

The unrest initially erupted on Friday when trees were torn down at a park in Istanbul’s main Taksim Square under government plans to redevelop the area. But they have widened into a broad show of defiance against the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).

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Blaze: An anti-government protester holds Turkey's national flag with a portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on it

Gas: Police use water cannon as protesters run to avoid tear gas during the third day

Choke: Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected claims that he is a 'dictator,' dismissing protesters as an extremist fringe

Riot: A protester falls down as he tries to throw back at police a tear gas canister

Prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed the main secular opposition party for inciting the crowds, and said the protests were aimed at depriving his ruling AK Party of votes as elections begin next year.

Erdogan said the plans to remake the square, long an iconic rallying point for mass demonstrations, would go ahead, including the construction of a new mosque and the rebuilding of a replica Ottoman-era barracks.

And he said the protests – which were started by a small group of environmental campaigners but mushroomed when police used force to eject them from the park on Taksim Square – had nothing to do with the plans.

Crowd: Young Turks clash with security forces in Ankara as the protest rages on

Shout: Riot police detain a protester during demonstrations against Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan

‘It’s entirely ideological,’ he told Turkish television. The demonstrations have since drawn in a wide range of people of all ages from across the political and social spectrum.

Protests yesterday were not as violent as the previous two days but police used tear gas to try to disperse hundreds of people in Ankara’s main Kizilay Square. There were similar clashes in Izmir and Adana, Turkey’s third and fourth-biggest cities.

In Taksim Square, the atmosphere was more festive with some chanting for Erdogan to resign and others singing and dancing. There were later clashes between police and protesters near Erdogan’s office in a former Ottoman palace in the city.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) denied orchestrating the unrest.

‘Today the people on the street across Turkey are not exclusively from the CHP, but from all ideologies and from all parties,’ senior party member Mehmet Akif Hamzacebi said.

Some 2.5 million Britons visit Turkey each year and it is an increasingly popular destination for holidaymakers from the UK.

The Foreign Office has also warned Britons to avoid travelling to areas close to the Syrian border.

Day three: Protesters gather for the third day of nationwide anti-government protest at the Taskim square in Istanbul

Riots: A protester holds a riot policeman's helmet as thousands of people gathering for another rally against the conservative government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Sunday

Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler yesterday said more than 1,700 people had been arrested in anti-government protests that have spread to 67 cities nationwide, though most have since been released.

'A large majority of the detainees were released after being questioned and identified,' he said in remarks carried by the state-run Anatolia news agency. He added that the country had seen 235 demonstrations since Tuesday.Meanwhile Britons are being urged to avoid trips to Turkey until the ongoing riots have dissipated.

The Foreign Office said on its website: ‘Demonstrations are taking place in Istanbul and in other cities across Turkey, including Ankara.

‘Police are using tear gas and water cannon in response. We advise British nationals to avoid all demonstrations.’

Police used tear gas on protesters in Ankara but the clashes so far today were relatively minor compared with major violence in Turkey's biggest cities on the previous two days.

Meanwhile Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan accused the main secular opposition party of provoking the wave of anti-government protests.

Escalating violence: A protester picks up a tear gas grenade to throw it back at riot police in Ankara on Sunday

Turkish riot police use tear gas to disperse protesters during a rally supporting the Istanbul demonstrations against the conservative government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara

Wreckage: A street vendor sells umbrellas in front of destroyed police cars in Taskim square in Istanbul

Calling the protesters 'a few looters', Erdogan said he would press ahead with redeveloping Istanbul's Taksim Square, a project which provoked the demonstrations that have widened into a broader show of defiance against his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Erdogan singled out the Republican People's Party (CHP) - set up in 1924 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who founded Turkey's modern secular state - for attack over a dispute he described as ideological.

'We think that the main opposition party which is making resistance calls on every street is provoking these protests,' Erdogan said on Turkish television.

Turkey's fiercest anti-government unrest for years erupted when trees were torn down at a park in Taksim Square under government plans to construct a new mosque and rebuild a replica Ottoman-era barracks.

Target: An activist takes pictures of a public bus that was damaged during the heavy clashes between protesters against the conservative government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday night

Damaged: An activist stands on a public bus that was damaged during the heavy clashes between protesters against the conservative government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday

Ruin: A woman takes pictures of a public bus which has been left a wreckage after violent protests in Turkey

'This reaction is no longer about the ripping out 12 trees. This is based on ideology,' said Erdogan, whose conservative vision for the nation has angered more liberal Turks. Referring to the planned mosque, he added: 'Obviously I will not ask for permission for this from the head of CHP or a few looters.'

Tens of thousands gathered on Sunday after a calmer night in Taksim Square, which saw two days of clashes between protesters and riot police backed by armoured vehicles and helicopters.

The atmosphere was more festive with some chanting for Erdogan to resign and others singing and dancing. There was little obvious police presence.

In Ankara's downtown Kizilay district, however, police used tear gas after a few thousand people chanted anti-government slogans and blocked traffic.

A woman talks on her mobile phone in front of a damaged shop after clashes between protesters and riot police during a rally against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government in Istanbul

Armed officer: A police officer stands on a main boulevard on Sunday after clashes between angry Turkish protesters and security forces in Ankara

Aftermath: A Turkish woman covers her mouth and nose to protect herself from the remnant of tear gas used by security forces against protesters in the Turkish capital, Ankara

On Sunday rain appeared to keep the crowds away from Taksim Square initially, but this did not dampen the spirit of the protesters whose numbers later swelled.

'We will stay until the end,' said Akin, who works in motor trade and has been in Taksim for the past four days. 'We are not leaving. The only answer now is for this government to fall. We are tired of this oppressive government constantly putting pressure on us.'

There were more than 90 separate demonstrations around the country on Friday and Saturday, officials said. More than 1,000 people have been injured in Istanbul and several hundred more in Ankara, according to medical staff.

The ferocity of the police response in Istanbul shocked Turks, as well as tourists caught up in the unrest in one of the world's most visited destinations. It has drawn rebukes from the United States, European Union and international rights groups.

Damage: A man attempts to use a damaged cash machine after clashes between angry Turkish protesters and security forces in Ankara

Good Samaritans: Volunteers clean up after clashes between protesters and riot police during a rally against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government in Istanbul

Graffiti: Female shoppers take pictures of damaged store windows covered in spray paint after clashes in Istanbul

Helicopters fired tear gas canisters into residential neighbourhoods and police used teargas to try to smoke people out of buildings. Footage on YouTube showed one protester being hit by an armoured police truck as it charged a barricade.

Erdogan has overseen a transformation in Turkey during his decade in power, turning its once crisis-prone economy into the fastest-growing in Europe.

On Sunday, he addressed critics who called him a 'dictator'.

'We have carried Turkey into a new era... If they call someone who is a servant of his country, then I have nothing to say to them,' he said.

Among Turks in general Erdogan remains by far the most popular politician, but critics point to what they see as his authoritarianism and religiously conservative meddling in private lives in the secular republic.

Tighter restrictions on alcohol sales and warnings against public displays of affection in recent weeks have also provoked protests. Concern that government policy is allowing Turkey to be dragged into the conflict in neighbouring Syria by the West has also led to peaceful demonstrations.

Turkish protesters hurl rocks at riot police near the former Ottoman palace, Dolmabahce, following a police crackdown on a peaceful demonstrations against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian style

Dangerous: The streets of Istanbul can be seen littered with rocks and debris on Saturday night

More than 1,000 people have been injured in Istanbul in three days of protests which started on Friday