Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu has officially re-opened the Gezi Park to public Monday afternoon after three weeks of closure since 15 June following a violent eviction by police forces.

The park has however once again been closed to public three hours after the opening, soon after the governor's leave from the park, as a group of demonstrators entered the park and chanted the slogans “Taksim is ours, Istanbul is ours”, and “This is just the beginning, keep the struggle going”.

Riot police surrounded the park and closed it off entirely as more people joined the demonstrators in the park soon. The police intervention has reportedly been made to prevent the forum Taksim Solidarity Platform has called for today, at 7 p.m. Police used tear gas against the people around the park at round 18.30 local time.

Officials have made no statements yet about the closure of the park.

In the meantime, riot police have not only surrounded the Taksim Square but also also closed the entrance from Sıraselviler Street leading to the square. People in the area are calling on the governor to resign.

The closure of the park has drawn strong reactions from the public and social media users. The left-wing socialist hacker group RedHack said that “We have a another world record: A government that keeps public out of Public Park. Forward democracy of AKP.”