Turkish Protesters Present Demands to Government

Stopping the demolition of Taksim Gezi park, banning the use of tear gas by police and a lifting of restrictions on free speech and assembly

Activists on Wednesday presented a list of demands they said could end days of anti-government demonstrations that have engulfed Turkey, as trade unions joined in the outpouring of anger, shouting slogans and wielding banners calling on the prime minister to resign.

In a move to defuse the tension, the deputy prime minister met with a group whose attempt to prevent authorities from ripping up trees in Istanbul's landmark Taksim Square has snowballed into nationwide protests against what demonstrators see as Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian rule.