ISTANBUL—At 3 a.m. protests are ongoing in many districts of Istanbul. One group of protesters started walking at around 2 a.m. from Besiktas, one of the busiest districts of Istanbul, to Taksim square which has been at the center of the protests.
Other people are protesting from their homes, making noise with pots and pans and cheering from their windows.
Protests have spread to cities across Turkey such as Ankara, Izmir, and Eskisehir.
The mass protests started after police forcefully broke up a 4-day peaceful sit-in protest against the construction of a shopping mall on Friday. Now however protests are aimed directly at the government.
Protesters are carrying lemons with them, which if applied can relief the effects of tear gas. Police in Istanbul has been using large amounts of teargas to break up protests.
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Local media coverage of the events has been limited, to the great dissatisfaction of many people in Turkey. Most people get their news from a local TV station called Halk TV, and from social media and international media.
Some local shops and restaurant owners are reportedly providing protesters with supplies.
A number of doctors and lawyers have spread their phone numbers on social media to help protesters.
While their have been reports of injuries and deaths is is unclear what the numbers are.
For previous coverage read: ‘Istanbul in Complete Chaos’ After Clashes Between Police and Protesters
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