350 detained according to Istanbul Bar Association

ISTANBUL

A group of protesters, after being driven by the police from Osmanbey toward Nişantaşı, built a barricade to halt the police advance. Hürriyet Daily News photo by Emrah Gürel

Police have detained almost 350 people since the crackdown began in Istanbul on June 15, according to the Istanbul Bar Association.

Police continued to use intense tear gas against protesters trying to gather in neighborhoods close to Taksim Square.

Dozens of protesters were detained during the police intervention on Sıraselviler Avenue which links to Taksim Square on June 16. One British citizen were among those detained, according to Doğan News Agency.

Those detained were later held in riot police buses at Taksim Square.

The police intervened with water cannons and tear gas on Sıraselviler Avenue to remove the barricade after calling on protesters to clear the route. 

Clashes between police and the protesters also occurred in the Mecidiyeköy and Nişantaşı neighborhoods of the Şişli district, as well as the Galata neighborhood of Beyoğlu.

A group of people who tried to build a barricade on Ergenekon Avenue in Şişli, were dispersed with tear gas and water cannons. Another group blocked the highway access road in the Nurtepe neighborhood of the Kağıthane district.

Another group of protesters, after being driven by the police from Osmanbey toward Nişantaşı, built a barricade to halt the police. The police then used a large amount of tear gas in the area in order to disperse the protesters, and several of the group took shelter in a mall.

Ferries not working

Meanwhile, city ferries traveling routes between the Anatolian and European sides of Istanbul were partially canceled following a directive from the Istanbul Governorate.

Lines from Kadıköy to Beşiktaş and from Kadıköy to Kabataş are currently not working.  The ferries are operating only between Kadıköy and Eminönü.

Intervention at mall in Mecidiyeköy

Earlier in the day, another group made up of around 100 people had gathered in Mecidiyeköy in front of another mall, Cevahir AVM.

The group had planned to march toward Taksim Square, until they faced a police intervention while chanting slogans. Ten riot policemen chased members of the group seeking shelter in the mall.

The police officers left the mall after the majority of those shopping in the mall reportedly chanted slogans against the police intervention.

Security guards at the mall distributed water for the protesters affected by the tear gas.