Hundreds in Brussels rally in support of Turkey protesters

Several hundred protesters gathered in front of the European Parliament in Brussels on Saturday and called for the resignation of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, reports ITN. The protest took place a few hours after Erdogan made a defiant call for an end to the fiercest anti-government demonstrations in years, as thousands of protesters clashed with riot police in Istanbul for a second day and protests erupted in the capital Ankara. The unrest was triggered by government plans for a replica Ottoman-era barracks housing shops or apartments in Istanbul's Taksim Square, long a venue for political protest, but has widened into a broader show of defiance against Erdogan and his Justice and Development party. Turkey-born Belgian politician Derya Bulduk said she decided to organise the protest to denounce the way the Turkish police repressed protesters in Turkey. “We deplore the way the insurrection has been treated. The police is playing an important power game. We cannot accept this, as the path to democracy cannot repress people in such a way," she told Reuters. "The Internet connection [is] completely shut down, people are not able to tweet or use social media. The media in Turkey are showing stupid competition programmes 24/7, but you can't see any news," said activist Selen Parman.