ISTANBUL: Police and hundreds of protesters clashed yesterday in Istanbul in the latest unrest over a 14-year-old left in a coma during anti-government demonstrations in June.
Police used tear gas and water cannons to attempt to disperse a crowd marching on Istanbul’s main court buildings shouting “We want justice for Berkin Elvan”.
The demonstrators, mostly masked members of far-left groups, threw rocks and Molotov cocktails and erected barricades.
While the clashes had ended by later afternoon, both police and protesters remained in place as evening fell.
Elvan was hit by a tear gas capsule fired by police, according to rights groups, having left his parents’ house to buy a loaf of bread as violent demonstrations swept the city.
Some protesters were injured yesterday in the street battles, mostly by exposure to tear gas, and one protester suffered burns after a Molotov cocktail exploded nearby, a photographer witnessed. Many were arrested.
AFP
