Istanbul - XINHUA
Istanbul police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon to disperse more than 10,000 anti-government protesters on Sunday. Clash broke out between more than 1,000 policemen and 10,000 protesters after a small group of protestors threw stones at officers at a security checkpoint in Kadikoy district of Asian side of Istanbul. Protesters said that they are against the urbanization projects in Istanbul and worsening corruption in the country. Some representatives of opposition parties and nongovernmental organizations are among the protesters with slogans like "Let's protect Istanbul against plundering." Many roads on Istanbul's Asian side were closed for the rally, which was officially permitted by the Istanbul Governor's Office. More than 80 high ranking officials and noted businessmen, including sons of three ministers, were detained and arrested in sweeping raids in Istanbul and Ankara this week.