国际英语新闻:Turkish riot police fire tear gas to disperse protesters, violence erupts

ISTANBUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of riot police carried out an operation by firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse more than 10,000 protesters in central Taksim square in Turkey's Istanbul as night falls on Tuesday.

A plume of smoke of tear gas filled the sky over square as police launched the operation at around 8:20 p.m. local time (GMT 1720).

An eyewitness told Xinhua that clashes broke out between policemen and protesters who responded the police operation by throwing stone and fireworks.

Some injuries and arrests were reported.

The tension in the square is running high as the square is getting dark and with no lights.

Shortly after the police's intervention, Governor of Istanbul Huseyin Avni Mutlu said on his social network page that "marginal groups" had attacked the police who were stationed in front of the Ataturk Cultural Center, near the Taksim Square.

"I plead with citizens at the site to separate themselves from the marginal group and abandon the square. It is important that our demand is carried out for everyone's security," Mutlu said.

RIOT POLICE RETURN TO SQUARE

It was the first time the riot police entered the square since they retreated from the iconic venue on June 1.

Riot police took control of Taksim Square after entering the site in the early morning and surrounded the Ataturk Statue following use of tear gas and pressurized water on the protesters.

As of 11:30, the protesters formed a human chain to prevent the police from intervening, which was immediately dispersed by the policemen. Crowds at the nearby park chanted slogans "Taksim is ours, Istanbul is ours!"

The police also stormed another gathering at the Gezi Park with tear gas and pressurized water.

Crowds started to overspread the Taksim Square in the evening according to a call from the Taksim Solidarity Platform following an all-day police intervention in central Istanbul.

The platform, an initiative organized to prevent a development project in Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park, called on people to support the ongoing protest at Gezi Park, saying that none of the protesters' demands had been realized by now.

Hundreds of protesters have been wounded during the clashes, with five critical cases, Turkish Medical Association President, Ahmet Ozdemir Aktan said, adding one protester's skull was severely cracked.

The Istanbul Governor's Office said in a statement that the operation only aimed to "clear the banners and flags on the Ataturk statue and the AKM cultural center" and no operation was planned for the Gezi Park.

Forces have also removed the barricades set up by protesters on the streets leading to the Taksim area.