Police attacked the protest of students at Ankara's Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) against a construction project of the Ankara Municipality which will see a highway built through the ODTÜ campus.

Protestors have been on guard duty to prevent the felling of trees on the campus since the construction works began on August 25.

The planned project was initiated by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality to build a road between Anadolu Boulevard and the Konya Highway. The construction of the road started four months ago and has recently caused protests from ODTÜ students and local people. Local residents have criticized the municipality for building the road and claim that the project will be disruptive to the neighborhood.

The group erected tents and started to camp to prevent the construction of the road that will cross land owned by the university and requires cutting down a large number of trees on its way.

Ankara police, having already been on the scene since August 25, intervened protestors in the campus area at around 7 a.m. Friday morning.

Riot control vehicles and riot police have accompanied the construction equipments that thave once again started works in the area this morning.

Fifteen people in the area were taken into custody and taken to 10 Nisan police headquarters in the neighborhood of Balgat.