The government nervousness was shown by the blackout that the Erdogan government was imposed on the main television stations - a blackout on the ugly scenes.
Following several days of dawn police raids on the protesters seeking to occupy Gezi park on Taksim Square in Istanbul city centre, the clashes escalated violently, leaving more than 100 people injured, several of them seriously.
Police went on a violent rampage against protesters who had been sitting reading books and singing songs.
There has widespread protest against the pro-corporate intervention and of the government, which is committed to demolishing the park to erect a shopping centre.
What started at the beginning of the week as an environmental protest aimed at saving an Istanbul city centre park from shopping centre developers backed by the government appeared to be snowballing into a national display of anger at the undemocratic and anti-people attitude of the Erdogan government.
"They have declared war on us," said an Istanbul shopkeeper in a back street, as he handed out lemon juice to counter the teargas to protesters. "This is out of all proportion."
"Today is a turning point for the AKP," said Koray Caliskan, a political scientist at Istanbul's Bosphorus University. "Erdogan is a very confident and very authoritarian politician, and he doesn't listen to anyone anymore. But he needs to understand that Turkey is no kingdom, and that he cannot rule Istanbul from Ankara all by himself."
Ugur Tanyeli, an architecture historian, said: "The real problem is not Taksim, and not the park, but the lack of any form of democratic decision-making process and the utter lack of consensus. We now have a PM who does whatever he wants."
"Our government actively supports the Syrian opposition, and they constantly call for more democratic rights in Syria. But look what they do to those who oppose their own ideas and policies – they try to shut us up with teargas and violence," said Nejla Gulten, a 32-year-old sociologist. "When the prime minister speaks about women, he never speaks about the problem of violence against women, but only about how many children we should have. He shapes every issue in Turkey to suit himself."
Brands pull out of Taksim mall project
Several brands have announced they will not participate in a proposed new mall in Istanbul’s Gezi Park amid ongoing protests against its construction. Boyner, YKM, Herry, Silk and Cashmere, Damat and Tween have announced they will not open shops in the mall. Business supremo Ümit Nazlı Boyner quoted her husband Cem Boyner, Boyner Holdings CEO, as saying “I need to listen to my client. It is impossible participate in such a project which is very much objected to by our people and clients".
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