Protesters run from tear gas and water cannons used by the Turkish police to disperse a demonstration on Kizilay square in Ankara on June 9, 2013.<\/p>\n
Turkish police have attacked anti-government protesters in the capital Ankara as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan entered into emergency talks with protest representatives.\n<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Ankara police fired tear gas and made several arrests as protesters blocked some roads in the capital.\n<\/p>\n
The clashes came as Erdogan held talks with representatives of protesters in a bid to end the two-week anti-government demonstrations.\n<\/p>\n
Negotiations with Erdogan come after the government announced its readiness to hold a referendum on a controversial development plan in Istanbul in an attempt to put an end the ongoing protests in the country.\n<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, the protesters rejected the prime minister\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s ultimatum to evacuate Istanbul\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s Gezi Park in central Istanbul, the epicenter of the protests.\n<\/p>\n
Thousands of people remained camped out in the iconic Taksim Square close to the park, in defiance of Erdogan’s warning to leave the area immediately.\n<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a group of mothers formed a human chain in the square to protect their children and prevent clashes between them and the police.\n<\/p>\n
The anti-government unrest began after police broke up a sit-in staged in Taksim Square on May 31 to protest against the demolition of Gezi Park.\n<\/p>\n
The death toll from clashes between anti-government protesters and police in Turkey has reached five. The latest victim was a 26-year-old protester who succumbed to injuries he had sustained on June 1.\n<\/p>\n
Around 5,000 of the demonstrators, most of whom are young and middle-class, have also been injured so far.\n<\/p>\n
The protesters say the park, which is a traditional gathering point for rallies and demonstrations as well as a popular tourist destination, is the city’s last green public space.\n<\/p>\n
Amnesty International has censured the Turkish police for the tactics they have used to control the protests.\n<\/p>\n
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