Foreign Office warns against travel to parts of Turkey after protests

The Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to parts of Turkey after two days of fierce clashes between police and protesters.

 Protestors clash with Turkish riot policemen during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park inIstanbul. Police reportedly used tear gas on a group standing guard in Gezi Parki to prevent the Istanbul metropolitan municipality from demolishing the last remaining green public space in the center of the city.

An environmental demonstration in Istanbul on Friday quickly spiralled into a wider, violent nationwide protests against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian government.

The Foreign Office advised Britons to avoid the areas where protests were taking place in Istanbul, Ankara and several other cities, while it warned against all but essential travel to areas in the east and south-east of the country.

"Demonstrations are taking place in Istanbul and in other cities across Turkey, including Ankara. Police are using tear gas and water cannons in response. We advise British nationals to avoid all demonstrations," the Foreign Office said.

"Demonstrations occur regularly in major cities and have the potential to turn violent."

Tear gas and water canon were deployed against hundreds of people trying cross the Bosporus Bridge to reach Istanbul's central Taksim square on Saturday, while in Astana, protesters were blocked from marching on the parliament.