A company with close ties to the government intending to build cultural centres, a mosque, an Ottoman-era military barracks and an opera house on a treasured Istanbul park was the trigger for protests that have spread into nationwide anti-government unrest. A BBC reporter who has covered unrest in Greece, the Occupy protests and reported from Tahrir Square said the breadth of social support within the urban enclave of Istanbul is bigger.’ Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, ‘This is not about Gezi Park anymore. These are organized events with affiliations both within Turkey and abroad. Those who make news and call these events the Turkish Spring do not know Turkey.’ Protesters say the Turkish government is becoming increasingly authoritarian. They fear that Mr Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) is trying to impose conservative Islamic values on the officially secular country and infringe on their personal freedoms.

Pray: for all unions, political and religious groups to calm the situation - remembering that peaceful demonstrations are part of democratic expression. (Ps.37:37)

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22753418