Hundreds or protesters returned to the streets of Ankara and Istanbul on Sunday, after two days of continued unrest featuring 1,700 arrests, BBC News reported. As Turkish Police continued to fire tear gas at protesters, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said protesters attempted to undermine democracy.
"They have been removing pave-stones an breaking the windows of local stores. Is this democracy?" Erdogan asked, while also calling them "a few looters." The protests were provoked by the opposition political party Republic People's Party (CHP), Erdogan charged. He also called Twitter a curse, adding that "I think social media as a whole is a pain in the side of society."
The protests throughout Turkey are the biggest in years. Correspondents on the ground indicate that the protests stem from fears that the government is increasingly authoritarian and trying to impose conservative Islamic values on the society.
Just last last week, BBC reported that the Turkish government passed legislation to curb the sale and advertising of alcoholic drinks.
One protester, Akin, told Reuters: "We will stay until the end. 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."
More than 1,000 protesters also gathered in Kizilay Square in Ankara on Sunday, with reports police had fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse them.
The epicenter of the protests has been at Taksim Square in Istanbul. There was reported violence, and a sign of excessive force by Turkish police: "The excessively heavy-handed response to the entirely peaceful protests in Taksim has been truly disgraceful," Amnesty's Europe director John Dalhuisen said.
