Duran Adam: the "standing man" inspires silent protests in Turkey

Performance artist Erdem Gunduz is the new symbol of anti-government protests in Turkey after his eight-hour vigil in Taksim Square on Monday earned him the nickname "the silent man."

Gunduz stands quietly in the large, open square, but Gunduz sought to play down his importance in demonstrations that have shaken Turkey's image of stability. Gunduz said he was protesting in solidarity with demonstrators who were evicted at the weekend from Gezi Park adjoining Taksim, an intervention by police that triggered some of the most violent clashes to date.

Reuters led early coverage of Turkey's protests. Photographer Osman Orsal captured the first iconic photograph of the scene: a woman in a red dress.

With her red cotton summer dress and white bag, she might have been floating across the lawn at a garden party; but before her crouches a masked policeman firing teargas spray that sends her long hair billowing upwards. Endlessly shared on social media and replicated as a cartoon on posters and stickers, the image of the woman in red has become an important symbol during days of violent anti-government demonstrations in Turkey

Turkish police battle protesters in Istanbul square

Turkish riot police using tear gas and water cannons battled protesters for control of Istanbul's Taksim Square on Tuesday night, hours after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan demanded an immediate end to 10 days of demonstrations.

The governor of Istanbul went on television to declare that police operations would continue day and night until the square, focus of demonstrations against Erdogan, was cleared.

Police fired volleys of tear gas canisters into a crowd of thousands - people in office clothes as well as youths in masks who had fought skirmishes throughout the day - scattering them into side streets and nearby hotels. Water cannons swept across the square targeting stone-throwers in masks. The protesters, who accuse Erdogan of overreaching his authority after 10 years in power and three election victories, thronged the steep narrow lanes that lead down to the Bosphorus waterway. Gradually, many began drifting back into the square as police withdrew, and gathered around a bonfire of rubbish.

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@JosephHerbert: great question. Most countries are responding to the protests in Turkey differently, although for the most park, EU leaders have said they support "peaceful protests."

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Correction: Istanbul's governor, not mayor, made the now updated statement below.

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