PHOTOS: Demonstrators occupy Istanbul’s Taskim Square

Activestills By Activestills June 3, 2013 | Edit

Demonstrators in Turkey held their ground in Istanbul early Monday morning, after several days of protests against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a host of issues, ranging from the destruction of municipal parks to infringements on the country’s secular character.

PHOTOS: Demonstrators occupy Istanbul's Taskim Square
Protesters walk next to a burned van in Taksim Square in central Istanbul, Turkey, in the early morning of June 3, 2013. Police fired tear gas at activists, after they set up barricades around the square and tired to march to the direction of the local soccer stadium. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

In the early morning hours of Monday, June 3, protesters managed to barricade an area roughly 1.5 kilometers from Taksim Square in the east of the city. Police clashed with protesters on the edge of the barricaded area, near a soccer stadium, firing tear gas at them.

Injured protesters were being taken to a makeshift field hospital set up in an area mosque. Reports on the ground said that police later raided the hospital, forcing all those inside to leave.

Hundreds of youths gathered in Taksim Square overnight, singing songs around fires. According to Amnesty International, two people have been killed and hundreds injured so far in Istanbul. Police have arrested some 1,700 people in the unrest that has spread to cities throughout the country.

PHOTOS: Demonstrators occupy Istanbul's Taskim Square
A protester wears a gas mask as youth gather in Taksim Square in central Istanbul, Turkey in the early morning hours of June 3, 2013. Police fired tear gas at activists after they set up barricades around the square and tired to march to the direction of the local soccer stadium. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

 

PHOTOS: Demonstrators occupy Istanbul's Taskim Square
Protesters run from tear gas in a street around Taksim Square in central Istanbul, Turkey in the early morning hours of June 3, 2013. Police fired tear gas at activists after they set up barricades around the square and tired to march to the direction of the local soccer stadium. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

 

PHOTOS: Demonstrators occupy Istanbul's Taskim Square
Protesters stand on top of a barricade in a street around Taksim Square in central Istanbul, Turkey, in the early morning hours of June 3, 2013. Police fired tear gas at activists after they set up barricades around the square and tired to march to the direction of the local soccer stadium. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

 

PHOTOS: Demonstrators occupy Istanbul's Taskim Square
Protesters stand next to a barricade in a street around Taksim Square in central Istanbul, Turkey, in the early morning hours of June 3, 2013. Police fired tear gas at activists after they set up barricades around the square and tired to march to the direction of the local soccer stadium. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

 

PHOTOS: Demonstrators occupy Istanbul's Taskim Square
Protesters stand on top of a barricade in a street around Taksim Square in central Istanbul, Turkey, in the early morning hours of June 3, 2013. Police fired tear gas at activists after they set up barricades around the square and tired to march to the direction of the local soccer stadium. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

 

PHOTOS: Demonstrators occupy Istanbul's Taskim Square
Activists gather around a fire after they set up barricades surrounding the square and tired to march to the direction of the local soccer stadium. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

 

PHOTOS: Demonstrators occupy Istanbul's Taskim Square
Protester sleeps in a street around Taksim Square in center Istanbul, Turkey, on early morning of June 3, 2013. Police fired tear gas at activists, after they set up barricades around the square, and tired to march to the direction of the local soccer stadium.
(Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

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Activestills is a collective of Israeli, Palestinian, and international photographers, united by a conviction that photography is a vehicle for political and social change. We believe in the power of images to shape public attitudes and to raise awareness on issues that are generally absent from public discourse. We view ourselves as part of the struggle against all forms of oppression, racism, and violations of the basic right to freedom. Our images are frequently published by many leading human rights, development, and advocacy agencies, as well as by alternative and leading news media. To stay updated on our latest images, like Activestills on Facebook or visit our Flickr photostream.

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