Protests in Turkey

In Istanbul, Turkey, what began on May 28 as a small protest over plans to build over a green-space park in Taksim Square mushroomed into nationwide antigovernment protests in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Mersin and other cities. 

Weeks of daily demonstrations by thousands of people drew a hard-line response from the government, with police using water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters. At least two deaths resulted from the clashes.

On June 14 the government agreed to suspend the Gezi Park redevelopment plan, but on June 15 the park was forcefully cleared of protesters. After June 21, the demonstrations died down, though smaller protests were still occuring in Istanbul and Ankara.