REPORT: Turkish riot police fire water cannon on Istanbul protesters

       
Turkish riot police fired water cannon to clear thousands of protesters from Istanbul's Taksim Square on Saturday, the first such clash there in nearly a week.         

Shortly before the water cannon were fired, protesters had been throwing red carnations in the direction of a line of riot police as it moved slowly towards them to clear the area.

This as Turkey's prime minister  who has blamed demonstrations in his country on a plot to destabilize his government  suggests protest-hit Brazil is a victim of the same conspiracy.            
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was speaking to thousands of supporters in the northern city of Samsun in the latest in a series of political rallies aimed at shoring up his base.             

Erdogan has blamed three weeks of anti-government protests in his country on a plot by unspecified foreign forces, bankers and media outlets he claims want to harm Turkey.                
His critics say protesters are tired of his authoritarian bent.               

Erdogan told supporters Saturday, "Those who failed in Turkey are now doing their best in Brazil."               

Mass protests in Brazil were set off earlier this month by hikes in bus and subway prices.         

Earlier in the day, hundreds of anti-government protesters surrounded a courthouse in Ankara demanding the release of people detained in a police crackdown on demonstrations.   
     
Only three out of 26 detainees were released, all the rest were taken to prison early on Saturday.        

As they were escorted to police vans the prisoners shouted "Everywhere is Taksim, Everywhere is resistance!," referring to Istanbul's Taksim Square where the protests first kicked off.       

Heavy police forces blocked the entrances to the courthouse, preventing demonstrators entering while the prisoners were escorted to prison.       

Human rights groups have said the protests in Turkey have left more than 5,000 people injured and more than 3,000 were detained and then released.         

The demonstrations were sparked by a police crackdown on environmental activists in Istanbul on May 31, but protesters also criticized what some regard as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's authoritarian style of leadership.               


AP/REUTERS


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