Riot police from the Turkish provinces have been flown into protest-torn Istanbul as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepares to rally supporters.
Some 1,000 riot police officers arrived at Ataturk Airport from regions as far away as Diyarbakir and Sirnak in the south-east, Turkish media report.
Istanbul has been tense since riot police broke up a protest camp on Taksim Square on Saturday evening.
They moved in after weeks of protests against Mr Erdogan's policies.
The protests began in earnest on 31 May against a plan to redevelop Gezi Park, but snowballed into nationwide anti-government protests after the perceived high-handed response of the authorities under their three-term prime minister.
Medical officials estimate that 5,000 people have been injured and at least four killed since protests began.
On Sunday morning, bulldozers cleared away barricades erected by the demonstrators around the square and its main green space, Gezi Park.
Municipal workers could be seen planting flowers as police maintained security cordons.
During the night, riot police fought running battles with protesters, driving them back with tear gas and water cannon.
The appearance of troopers from the country's gendarmerie, a military force under the control of the interior ministry in peacetime, jolted some demonstrators at the city's strategic Bosphorous Bridge.
The protesters have lost their heartland around Gezi Park and may have to rethink their strategy now, the BBC's James Reynolds reports from the city.
Riot police could be seen leaving the airport and getting on to coaches bound for the city.
At least 350 police on duty at the airport were also deployed to the city centre in case of possible clashes, Turkey's Dogan news agency reports.
The rally in support of Mr Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), is planned for the early evening, on the outskirts of the city.
Mr Erdogan, a hate figure for the protesters, has agreed to postpone the redevelopment of the park while the courts consider the project's legality.
But he insisted the park had to be "evacuated" by the security forces.
Activists have been calling on protesters to return to the city centre.
Witnesses say Saturday was one of the worst nights of unrest since Gezi Park was occupied 18 days ago.
Clashes continued into Sunday morning in the streets around the square, eyewitnesses say.
Thousands of people also took to the streets of the capital, Ankara, to express support for the protests and unrest continued there on Sunday.
The Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK) also said it would call a nationwide strike on Monday, while another union grouping is deciding whether to join the action.
Some 1,000 riot police officers arrived at Ataturk Airport from regions as far away as Diyarbakir and Sirnak in the south-east, Turkish media report.
Istanbul has been tense since riot police broke up a protest camp on Taksim Square on Saturday evening.
They moved in after weeks of protests against Mr Erdogan's policies.
The protests began in earnest on 31 May against a plan to redevelop Gezi Park, but snowballed into nationwide anti-government protests after the perceived high-handed response of the authorities under their three-term prime minister.
Medical officials estimate that 5,000 people have been injured and at least four killed since protests began.
On Sunday morning, bulldozers cleared away barricades erected by the demonstrators around the square and its main green space, Gezi Park.
Municipal workers could be seen planting flowers as police maintained security cordons.
During the night, riot police fought running battles with protesters, driving them back with tear gas and water cannon.
The appearance of troopers from the country's gendarmerie, a military force under the control of the interior ministry in peacetime, jolted some demonstrators at the city's strategic Bosphorous Bridge.
The protesters have lost their heartland around Gezi Park and may have to rethink their strategy now, the BBC's James Reynolds reports from the city.
Riot police could be seen leaving the airport and getting on to coaches bound for the city.
At least 350 police on duty at the airport were also deployed to the city centre in case of possible clashes, Turkey's Dogan news agency reports.
The rally in support of Mr Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), is planned for the early evening, on the outskirts of the city.
Mr Erdogan, a hate figure for the protesters, has agreed to postpone the redevelopment of the park while the courts consider the project's legality.
But he insisted the park had to be "evacuated" by the security forces.
Activists have been calling on protesters to return to the city centre.
Witnesses say Saturday was one of the worst nights of unrest since Gezi Park was occupied 18 days ago.
Clashes continued into Sunday morning in the streets around the square, eyewitnesses say.
Thousands of people also took to the streets of the capital, Ankara, to express support for the protests and unrest continued there on Sunday.
The Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK) also said it would call a nationwide strike on Monday, while another union grouping is deciding whether to join the action.
Source : BBC
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