Fires burn as protests go into the night in Turkey

2013-06-09 101

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STORY: Demonstrations go into the night in Turkey as activists ignore Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's warning that his patience has its limits after days of anti-government protests.

What began as a campaign against government plans to build over Gezi Park has spiraled into an unprecedented display of public anger over the perceived authoritarianism of Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK Party.

Police fired teargas and water cannon at protesters night after night in Istanbul and Ankara last week, in clashes that have left three dead and close to 5,000 injured.

Speaking earlier in the southern Mediterranean coastal city of Adana, Erdogan dismissed the protesters and told cheering crowds to "teach them a lesson" at the ballot box next year, when Turkey holds local and presidential elections.

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