Tens of Thousands of Demonstrators Flood Taksim Square in Istanbul

Police tried to break up a protest against the park's demolition, now have nationwide demonstrations on their hand

After battling for nearly 36 hours with tear gas, water cannons and pepper spray, Turkish police retreated from Istanbul's central Taksim Square on Saturday afternoon, allowing tens of thousands of demonstrators to pour into the space.

A peaceful sit-in on Friday against government plans to demolish a park was met with a police crackdown, igniting the biggest anti-government riots this city has seen in a decade.