ISTANBUL
Riot police fired water cannon to disperse protesters in Istanbul's Taksim Square after issuing repetitive warnings to leave the area.
Protesters gathered at Istanbul's main square following the call of the activist group Taksim Solidarity Platform, reading out a statement to commemorate the four people who have been killed during the three-week-long Gezi Park demonstrations.
Demonstrators split into smaller groups retreating and regrouping in side streets as police later fired tear gas and rubber bullets.
Following the protests Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu said the intervention of the police was necessary as the protests harmed public safety.
Speaking to the Anadolu Agency, Mutlu said "Taksim Solidarity Platform calls for spoiling the peaceful environment restored in Taksim. These are actions that harm the city and its people."
Mutlu stated the group blocked Taksim Square for one hour, adding call for protests was illegal as they harmed the public safety as well as public transportation, and the traffic around Taksim.
Also on Saturday police dispersed protesters who gathered in at least two districts of capital Ankara, using tear gas and water cannons.
