Post date: May 31, 2013 11:3:50 PM
ISTANBUL, TURKEY (MAY 31, 2013) (REUTERS) - Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday (May 31) at demonstrators in central Istanbul, and sprayed them with water in Ankara.
Thousands of demonstrators massed on streets surrounding Istanbul's centralTaksim Square, long a venue for political unrest, while protests erupted in the capital, Ankara.
In Istanbul, protesters set up a barricade in Istiklal street and hurled stones at police.Broken glass and rocks were strewn across a main shopping street near Taksim. Primary school children ran crying from the clouds of tear gas while tourists caught by surprise scurried to get back to luxury hotels lining the square.
The unrest reflects growing disquiet at the authoritarianism of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The protest at Taksim's Gezi Park started late on Monday after trees were torn up under a government redevelopment plan, but has widened into a broader demonstration against Erdogan's administration. Friday's violence erupted after a dawn police raid on demonstrators who had been camped out for days.
Riot police clashed with tens of thousands of May Day protesters in Istanbul this month. There have also been protests against the government's stance on the conflict in neighbouring Syria, a tightening of restrictions on alcohol sales and warnings against public displays of affection.