Thousands throng Istanbul protest square after police clashes

Thousands of demonstrators squared off against riot police today and defiantly packed an Istanbul square after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned he had "no more tolerance" for the mass protests against his Islamic-rooted government.
Hundreds of police stormed Taksim Square, the epicentre of nearly two weeks of unrest, in the early morning, firing tear gas and jets of water. They fought hours-long battles with protesters and used bulldozers to clear barricades erected by demonstrators after police pulled out of the area on June 1.
For most of the day clouds of acrid smoke filled the square as the clashes raged, with some demonstrators, in helmets and gas masks, hurling molotov cocktails, fireworks and stones.

But as evening fell, police unexpectedly retreated and lined up along the eastern side of the square only, allowing whistle-blowing demonstrators to flood the area for a 12th night, many chanting: "Resistance!" and booing at officers.
In the capital Ankara, which has seen several nights of violence, crowds also took to the streets, an AFP photographer saw.
The early morning police intervention in Taksim Square surprised protesters, many of whom were still dozing in nearby Gezi Park, because it came just hours after Erdogan said he would meet with protest leaders tomorrow, his first major concession since the trouble began.

But the premier made no mention of the olive branch today and resumed his tough stance against the demonstrators who have thrown up the biggest challenge yet to his decade-long rule.

"This episode is now over. We won't show any more tolerance," the premier told cheering lawmakers of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in a speech broadcast live on television.
"Can you believe that? They attack Taksim, gas us in the morning just after proposing talks with us?" said 23-year-old Yilmaz.
"We won't abandon Gezi," he vowed. "I am not afraid of their water cannon, it'll be my first shower in three days."

The nationwide unrest first erupted after police cracked down heavily on May 31 on a campaign to save Gezi Park from redevelopment.
The trouble spiralled into mass displays of anger against Erdogan, who is seen as increasingly authoritarian, tarnishing Turkey's image as a model of Islamic democracy.
Erdogan said today that four people, including a policeman, had died. Nearly 5,000 people have been injured.