With fists in the air, crowds chanted ‘The struggle continues’ as protesters marked the third anniversary of the Gezi park demos in Turkey.

Police clashed with activists who gathered at Istanbul’s famous Istiklal street, with the aim of marching to the park. However, as every year the site was on lockdown along with Taksim Square.

Referring to the Turkish president’s criticism of France’s violent response to recent labour protests, one protester said, “I salute the President. It is controversial for a President who criticises French police and the pressure they heaped on people in the country, to dish out this treatment to us today. He is contradicting himself. We don’t understand why he is afraid of letting us go to that park.”

Gezi park and nearby Taksim square became the epicentre of anti-government protests which spiraled into nationwide demos against the perceived authoritarian rule of President Erdogan.