(Vatican Radio) Unions in Turkey have called a one-day nationwide strike to protest
against the police crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.
Speaking at
a massive rally Sunday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said two weeks of street
protests were manipulated by "terrorists." He dismissed opposition allegations that
he was behaving like a dictator and he criticized foreign media coverage of the protests.
As he spoke, riot police in central Istanbul fired tear gas to stop protesters from
regrouping in the main Taksim Square, after police forcibly drove them out of a nearby
park that has been the center of protests against Erdogan's government.
The
prime minister said his patience with the demonstrators had ended. Security forces
used tear gas and water cannons to clear the park on Saturday evening.