Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is meeting with a handful of anti-government protesters after a night of violent clashes in central Istanbu, the Voice of America reports.
But as a delegation of 11 students, academics and artists met Mr. Erdogan, some protesters at Istanbul’s Gezi Park and civic associations rejected the talks, saying the group had been handpicked by the government.
Turkish riot police on Wednesday cleared protesters from Istanbul’s central square, following a night of clashes.
The police operation follows nearly two weeks of demonstrations in Taksim Square that began when protesters were determined to stop authorities from tearing up Gezi Park next to the square for a new building.