Several protesters injured, others arrested as clashes continue in Turkey

   
Protests continued into early Thursday in several Turkish cities, after the funeral of a 22-year-old protester whose death at a protest has re-ignited anti-government anger in Turkey.

At the protests in Ankara and Istanbul, clashes broke out in some areas and injured have been reported in both cities.

Police detained scores of protesters in Istanbul.

The death of Ahmet Atakan on Sunday under disputed circumstances has renewed a protest movement that had cooled after thousands took to the streets in June in an expression of discontent against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.

In Ankara, protesters gathered near the construction site of a cultural center expected to house an Alevi cemevi and a Sunni mosque.                   

The protest near the site was believed to be a part of wider inflamed sectarian tensions following weeks of anti-government anger earlier this summer, which at times pitted conservatives against liberals.                 

Police intervened with tear gas and water cannon as demonstrators started to march towards the construction area.

In the southern city of Hatay, a group of about 200 people confronted police who then responded with tear gas and water cannon.

A police crackdown on a sit-in to protect an Istanbul Park ignited nationwide protests in June that turned into an expression of discontent with what opponents say is the government's increasingly authoritarian style.


AP