Death of 15-year-old nine months after being hit by police teargas canister sparks violent clashes across Turkey

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Tens of thousands of people have turned out for the funeral of a Turkish boy who died nine months after being hit by a police teargas canister during anti-government protests.

The death on Tuesday of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan after a long coma sparked violent clashes between protesters and riot police across the country.

Police were bracing for further clashes as thousands converged in Istanbul calling for the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to resign.

Berkin was hit on the head by a teargas canister after going out to buy bread during the demonstrations last year.

Mourners follow Berkin Elvan's coffin in Istanbul. Photograph: Osman Orsal/Reuters

"Berkin's murderers are the AKP police," protesters shouted, referring to Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development party (AKP).

More demonstrations are planned, heaping pressure on Erdoğan, whose government has been rocked by an escalating corruption scandal before elections that could decide his fate.

Erdoğan has vowed to step down if the AKP, in power since 2002, loses local elections on 30 March. They are seen as a key test of his popularity after last year's unrest and the corruption probe.

A woman cries amid scenes of sorrow and anger. Photograph: Ferdi Limani/LeJournal/Sipa/Rex

Berkin's story became a symbol of the heavy-handed police tactics against demonstrators in June.

His death prompted protests reminiscent of last year's unrest, with thousands clashing with police on Tuesday in at least 32 cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, where the most violent clashes took place.

According to local media, some 20 demonstrators were injured and 150 arrests made.

Protesters shouted "Erdoğan, killer" and "all against Fascism".

In the Okmeydani neighbourhood where the boy lived, shopkeepers shut their stores in a show of solidarity.

Riot police clash with protesters following Berkin’s death. Photograph: Huseyin Sari/Zaman/Sipa/Rex

The president, Abdullah Gül, expressed his sadness at the boy's death and appealed for calm, urging everyone "to do everything to prevent this from happening again".

The June protests started as a relatively small environmentalist movement to save Istanbul's central Gezi Park but evolved into a nationwide wave of protests against Erdoğan, who is seen as increasingly authoritarian.

An estimated 2.5 million people took to the streets across Turkey over three weeks in June to demand Erdoğan's resignation. More than 8,000 were injured, according to medics.

Berkin's death brought the toll from the unrest to at least eight, including one policeman.

Crowds surround the coffin as it is carried through the streets. Photograph: Huseyin Sari/Zaman/Sipa/Rex

On Tuesday, the boy's mother, Gulsum Elvan, said: "It's not God who took my son away but prime minister Erdoğan." Several political parties and trade unions called for a mass demonstration after Berkin's funeral.

"Their children steal millions and our children are killed when they go to buy bread," said the Disk union. The union was referring to a corruption scandal that broke in December, implicating Erdoğan's inner circle and their families.

Since then, sporadic protests have continued against controversial measures taken by Erdoğan in response to the scandal, including laws tightening state control over the internet and the judiciary.

• This article was amended on 12 March 2014. The original subheading wrongly suggested Istanbul was Turkey's capital.