BREAKING NEWS:Turkey street riots

[Jan Klimkowski]

A War on Trees and a War on Booze.

Horrifically, at least six protestors lost an eye after being hit by gas canisters, suggesting the tear gas rounds were being fired directly at the crowd.

My bolding below.

Turkey protests rage for second day

Police use water cannon and teargas to disperse demonstrators as protest erupt for second day in Istanbul and Ankara

Conal Urquhart and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 1 June 2013 11.00 BST

A woman confronts Turkish riot police during violent protests in Istanbul. Photograph: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

Violent protests have continued for a second day in Turkey, with police and protesters clashing in Istanbul and the capital Ankara.

In Istanbul, thousands of protesters blocked the bridge over the Bosphorus as they marched from the east to the west side of the city to join demonstrations on Saturday morning.

The unrest began with a peaceful protest against the redevleopment of Gezi park in Istanbul's Taksim Square, but escalated as anger mounted at violent police tactics, including the use of teargas.

The demonstration turned into a wider protest against the country's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seen as becoming increasingly authoritarian, and spread to other Turkish cities.

The Turkish Doctors' Association said nearly 1,000 people had been injured in Istanbul on Friday, including six who lost eyes after being hit by gas canisters.

On Saturday, police clashed with several groups of youths trying to reach Taksim. Some threw stones at the security forces.

The marchers who crossed the Bosphorus bridge were met with water cannons and teargas. Police detained a group of protesters who ran into a hotel to shelter from the gas.

In Ankara, thousands gathered at a small park and moved into a popular shopping street. Many were seen drinking in the street in protest at the government restrictions on the sale and advertisement of alcohol. Police broke up groups that tried to march toward the parliament building, a few hundred metres away.

Ozturk Turkdogan, the head of the Turkish Human Rights Association, said hundreds of people in several cities had been injured in the police crackdown and a few hundred people had been arrested. The Dogan news agency said 81 demonstrators were detained in Istanbul.

Turkish police have previously been accused of excessive use of teargas and violence to stop demonstrations, including at this year's May Day rally.

Turkdogan said: "The use of [tear]gas at such proportions is unacceptable. It is a danger to public health and as such is a crime. Unfortunately, there isn't a prosecutor brave enough to stand up to police. The people are standing up against Erdogan who is trying to monopolise power and is meddling in all aspects of life."

There is resentment in secular circles towards Erdogan's broadly Islamic government and towards the prime minister himself, who is known for his abrasive style and intolerance of criticism.

Last week, the government passed legislation preventing the sale and advertisement of alcoholic drinks, alarming secularists. Many felt insulted when he defended the legislation by calling people who drink alcoholics.

Thousands marched through streets in several cities on Friday, calling on Erdogan to resign. Cars honked and residents banged on pots and pans in solidarity with the protesters.