11 foreign nationals detained for role in Istanbul protests

Eleven foreign nationals including four Americans were detained on accusations that they were helping provoke the protests at Gezi Park close to Istanbul city center of Taksim square, local daily Radikal reported on Thursday. The report said that four Americans, two British nationals, two Iranians, one Indian, one French citizen and one Greek were among those detained overnight Wednesday for allegedly provoking protesters during the ongoing events. However, officials have not yet confirmed the detentions. Radikal said all the foreign nationals possessed diplomatic passports and four were students who were residing in Turkey as part of Erasmus, an exchange student program. The protests entered their the 10th day on Thursday with demonstrations still taking place in Taksim square and the nationwide. The 10-day long protests started as a reaction against the demolition of Taksim's Gezi Park and later turned into clashes between police forces and thousands of protesters since May 28. The anti-government protests have spread to 67 provinces across the country, including the capital city of Ankara and coastal cities of Antalya and Izmir. The clashes lead to more than 4000 injured and thousands detained. Protesters vowed to go ahead with their "struggle" until their demands are met by the government through tangible steps.