Turkish PM demands an end to protests in Istanbul

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called on demonstrators to end the five- day long protests against the demolition of Gezi Park in the coastal city of Istanbul. During a speech at the 20th congress of Turkey's Exporters Assembly, Erdogan said that the protesters have been subject to " illegal groups" and that the demonstrations have become " ideological" rather than "environmental." Erdogan admitted that there were "mistakes" in the use of tear gas against protesters by police force, adding that an investigation had been launched. The Turkish PM, however, maintained that "Nobody has the right to raise tensions with the excuse that trees are being cut down," pleading people to immediately end such protests. The nationwide demonstrations were triggered after the police broke up a peaceful sit-in on Friday. Twelve protesters were injured and at least 63 people detained as police fired tear gas and water cannon that day. On Saturday, police continued clashing with thousands of demonstrators in Istanbul and many other cities.