Istanbul protesters flee police tear gas, water canon

Turkish police used tear gas and water cannon against peaceful protesters on Istanbul's Taksim Square Saturday after the city's governor banned a planned evening demonstration, dpa reported. Thousands of people fled in panic after a crowd had gathered for a protest planned for 7 pm (1600 GMT). Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu had declared the gathering illegal. The grassroots protest alliance Taksim Solidarity Platform called for the demonstration to enter adjacent Gezi Park, which has been cordoned off since anti-government protests began there in late May. The Gezi demonstrations quickly transformed into an ongoing nationwide wave of protests, in which Erdogan's government has been accused of seeking to institute Islamist rule over the secular country. The police response, which has included firing rubber bullets and tear gas at unarmed protesters, has drawn international condemnation.