Turkish leader ‘must act to defuse tension’

A day earlier, prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a series of fiery speeches to thousands of his supporters, saying the government’s patience was running thin, demanding an end to the protests and threatening to hold those who do not respect his government to account. He has also called major pro-government rallies in Ankara and Istanbul next weekend.

Main opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said Mr Erdogan was “trying to hold on to power by creating tensions” and was “throwing society into the fire”.

The protests were sparked on May 31 by a violent police crackdown on a sit-in at a park to prevent a redevelopment project that would replace the green space with a replica Ottoman Barracks. They have since spread to 78 cities across the country.

Protesters were angry at what they say are Mr Erdogan’s growing autocratic ways and his attempts to impose religious and conservative views on their lifestyles.

Mr Erdogan, a devout Muslim, says he is committed to Turkey’s secular laws and rejects charges of autocracy.