Students and police clash in the capital, as the country's prime minister prepares to leave for a four-day foreign trip.
There have been clashes between hundreds of students and riot police in the Turkish capital of Ankara after a weekend of anti-government demonstrations across the country.
Police tried to disperse the protesters with tear gas and water cannon as Monday morning commuters attempted to dodge clashes on their way to work.
Bandana-clad youths ran at and kicked shop barriers, which were already covered in graffiti, as a local businessman tried to prevent the destruction.
Ordinary Turks tried to go about their business wearing masks as tear gas rose around them.
Protesters had clashed with riot police into the early hours of Monday with some setting fire to offices of the ruling AK Party.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for calm, urging people not to be provoked by demonstrations he claimed had been organised by "extremist elements".
It is the fourth day of protests in Turkey after unrest that began in Istanbul spread across the country.
Clashes between protesters and police firing tear gas and using water cannon that started on Friday in Istanbul's Taksim Square spread to some 67 cities on Sunday.
Some 1,700 people were arrested nationwide but most have now been released, according to Interior Minister Muammer Guler, who estimated the cost of the protests so far at more than 20 million liras (£6.55m).
Taksim Square was relatively quiet early on Monday, as people returned to work for the first time since tensions boiled over.
But protesters' banners and barriers of scrap metal remain, suggesting they would return.
The square became the flashpoint after a local outcry against plans to redevelop Gezi Park near Taksim turned into a platform for anti-government anger.
The days of protests have been the biggest outburst of anger at the Islamist-rooted government since it took power more than a decade ago.
Mr Erdogan earlier dismissed the protesters as a "bunch of vandals". In a televised interview he blamed social media, particularly Twitter, for spreading lies.
"If you love this country, if you love Istanbul, do not fall for these games," he said.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned in a Twitter message: "The continuation of these protests ... will bring no benefits but will harm the reputation of our country which is admired both in the region and the world."
Mr Erdogan, who is due to leave on a four-day offical trip to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, has admitted "mistakes" by the police in their initial response.
Overnight, police fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters who marched on Mr Erdogan's offices in Istanbul and in the capital Ankara.
"Dictator, resign! ... We will resist until we win," yelled the crowds, who hurled stones and lit fires in the streets.
The flashpoint shifted late on Sunday to the Besiktas area north of Taksim, near Mr Erdogan's Istanbul base.
Groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have denounced the police reaction as excessive and Turkey's Western allies have appealed for restraint.
The Foreign Office has advised British tourists to avoid the demonstrations. It also advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country that are close to the Syrian border, and warns of a "high threat" from terrorism.
There have been clashes between hundreds of students and riot police in the Turkish capital of Ankara after a weekend of anti-government demonstrations across the country.
Police tried to disperse the protesters with tear gas and water cannon as Monday morning commuters attempted to dodge clashes on their way to work.
Bandana-clad youths ran at and kicked shop barriers, which were already covered in graffiti, as a local businessman tried to prevent the destruction.
Ordinary Turks tried to go about their business wearing masks as tear gas rose around them.
Protesters had clashed with riot police into the early hours of Monday with some setting fire to offices of the ruling AK Party.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for calm, urging people not to be provoked by demonstrations he claimed had been organised by "extremist elements".
It is the fourth day of protests in Turkey after unrest that began in Istanbul spread across the country.
Clashes between protesters and police firing tear gas and using water cannon that started on Friday in Istanbul's Taksim Square spread to some 67 cities on Sunday.
Some 1,700 people were arrested nationwide but most have now been released, according to Interior Minister Muammer Guler, who estimated the cost of the protests so far at more than 20 million liras (£6.55m).
Taksim Square was relatively quiet early on Monday, as people returned to work for the first time since tensions boiled over.
But protesters' banners and barriers of scrap metal remain, suggesting they would return.
The square became the flashpoint after a local outcry against plans to redevelop Gezi Park near Taksim turned into a platform for anti-government anger.
The days of protests have been the biggest outburst of anger at the Islamist-rooted government since it took power more than a decade ago.
Mr Erdogan earlier dismissed the protesters as a "bunch of vandals". In a televised interview he blamed social media, particularly Twitter, for spreading lies.
"If you love this country, if you love Istanbul, do not fall for these games," he said.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned in a Twitter message: "The continuation of these protests ... will bring no benefits but will harm the reputation of our country which is admired both in the region and the world."
Mr Erdogan, who is due to leave on a four-day offical trip to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, has admitted "mistakes" by the police in their initial response.
Overnight, police fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters who marched on Mr Erdogan's offices in Istanbul and in the capital Ankara.
"Dictator, resign! ... We will resist until we win," yelled the crowds, who hurled stones and lit fires in the streets.
The flashpoint shifted late on Sunday to the Besiktas area north of Taksim, near Mr Erdogan's Istanbul base.
Groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have denounced the police reaction as excessive and Turkey's Western allies have appealed for restraint.
The Foreign Office has advised British tourists to avoid the demonstrations. It also advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country that are close to the Syrian border, and warns of a "high threat" from terrorism.
Source : SkyNews
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