Protesters run as the riot police fire water cannon at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 22, 2013 (Reuters / Marko Djurica)

Turkish riot police fired water cannons and tear gas to clear Istanbul's Taksim Square from thousands of protesters, who returned to the site after PM Tayyip Erdogan blamed the massive protests on Turkey’s “enemies from abroad”. The protestors gathered in the square holding carnations and Turkish national flags in their hands, with no political banners on display. The police didn’t let the people return to Gezi Park, which has been cordoned off since last week. The crowd condemned the closure of the park, chanting: "Open park belonging to the public." After warning the people to disperse, the riot police used water cannons to quell the demonstration. The crowd quickly scattered, with the protesters shouting: "Police, don't betray your people!" Stand-offs continued in side streets with Twitter reports of further water cannoning and even teargassing. Water cannon trucks were then parked at several entry points to Taksim to prevent the demonstrators from regrouping. 

Riot police fire a water cannon at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 22, 2013 (Reuters / Marko Djurica)

 Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, took part in the pro-governmental ‘Respect for National Will’ rally in the Black Sea port city of Samsun. In his speech, he touched upon the Gezi Park protests, saying that the whole action was masterminded by the enemies of Turkey from abroad. 

 "I am asking you. Who is the winner at the end of the protests going on for three weeks now?” Erdogan is cited as saying by the local Anadolu news agency. “I will tell you. The winners are the 'interest rate lobbies' as well as Turkey's enemies. Who has lost? Turkey's economy, tourism, and international strength and the image of Turkey." The prime minister said that the anti-government rallies currently taking place across Brazil are part of the same global conspiracy, which Turkey suffered from. 

Turkish protesters clash with Turkish riot policemen on Taksim square in Istanbul on June 22, 2013 (AFP Photo / Bulent Kilic)

 "It was the same game being played on Brazil, and same symbols, same banners, and the same international media. They are doing their best to achieve in Brazil what they could not achieve in Turkey," he said. Erdogan also denied accusations that the police have been using excessive force against the Taksim protesters during the weeks of unrest. "It is a betrayal to show Turkish police as pro-violence in the international media. The police are ours and they are doing their duty," the PM stressed. The Taksim square has been the cradle of protests since May 31 after the police used force to remove a group of environmentalists opposing the government’s plans to develop Gezi Park. But the rally quickly transformed into show of dissent against the government and Erdogan, who opponents call an authoritarian leader, pushing for the Islamisation of Turkey and meddling in peoples’ everyday lives.

A protestor wears a gas mask during clashes with police near Taksim Square in Istanbul June 22, 2013 (Reuters / Marko Djurica)

Protesters run as riot police fire teargas at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 22, 2013 (Reuters / Marko Djurica)

A protester jumps over a fire as he runs from riot police on a street near Taksim Square in Istanbul June 22, 2013 (Reuters / Marko Djurica)