Erdogan's crackdown clears Turkish protesters from Istanbul square

When the peaceful protest against the development plans was met with riot police using teargas and water cannons, demonstrations quickly swelled and expanded to include far broader objections to what many protesters say is a creeping authoritarianism that encroaches on their freedom. Protests have occurred in dozens of cities across the country.

Erdogan, who won a sweeping parliamentary mandate in 2011 and remains popular among a conservative Islamic base, has held firm to his plans to redevelop the park. Over the weekend, he defiantly threatened to clear the nation’s squares of “anarchists and terrorists,” and on Tuesday he made good on his threat.

“Were we supposed to kneel before them?” he said Tuesday. “They can call me harsh, but this Tayyip Erdogan won’t change.”