Istanbul police staged a crackdown on a demonstration in Taksim where thousands called on the ruling AK Party of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to resign in protest against the corruption scandal and those involved in it.

Police blocked all the ways leading to the central Taksim Square before demonstrators started to gather there upon Taksim Solidarity platform's call spread on social media for a mass demo against the government.

Denying access to the Taksim Square, police attacked a group of demonstrators as they marched to the square, chanting slogans in the evening. Intense pressure water and tear gas, as well as rubber bullets, were used against protestors. At least 70 people were detained by police during clashes that lasted till midnight. Many were reported injured as a result of excessive use of police force.

People in many other cities also took to the streets yesterday and called on the government to resign, including Ankara, Adana, Antakya, Bursa, Çanakkale, Edirne, İzmir, Kocaeli, Maraş, Mersin, Zonguldak, Uşak, Eskişehir, Afyonkarahisar and Karabük.