Riot police used a water cannon and tear gas to disperse protesters at the occupied Gezi Park in Istanbul on Saturday. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

ISTANBUL—Turkey's riot police launched a crackdown against antigovernment demonstrators in Istanbul on Saturday, clearing an occupied park and sparking clashes across the city less than two hours after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a final call to leave the area.

The move to clear the encampment at Gezi Park—epicenter of 17 days of antigovernment protests—with tear gas and water cannon, could risk hardening protesters resolve and potentially widen the divisions in Turkish society that have in previous decades contributed to cycles of violence.

Nationwide antigovernment protests erupted across Turkey almost three weeks ago when riot police sought to disperse an environmental protest at Gezi Park using tear gas and water cannon sparking violent clashes that have left four people dead and more than 5000 injured.

Following almost a week of relative calm in Istanbul, the scale of Saturday's police action appeared to signal that Turkey's government hoped to deal a decisive blow to protesters just before Mr. Erdogan stages the gathering in Istanbul on Sunday. A rally, named "respect to the national will," is expected to attract tens of thousands of supporters of the governing Justice and Development Party, or AKP.


Riot police used a water cannon at Gazi Park. Getty Images

The prime minister has repeatedly cast a series of rallies over the past week as the voice of the "silent majority" that showed restraint against the unrest triggered by the protests.

Analysts said that the pro-government demonstrations this weekend in Ankara and Istanbul were intended as a show of political force to bolster Mr. Erdogan's authority as he faces the biggest popular challenge to his decadelong leadership, but that the effort may backfire if the prime minister overplays his hand.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a final warning to antigovernment demonstrators to accept his offer and leave the area during a rally in the capital. Reuters

Supporters of Turkey's prime minister gathered for a rally in the capital Ankara on Saturday. Meanwhile, antigovernment protesters vowed to continue occupying Istanbul's Gezi Park. European Pressphoto Agency

"This is going to be a short-term victory. We might see more demonstrations and unrest even if it looks like Erdogan solved the protests," said Wolfango Piccoli, managing director at Teneo Intelligence, a New York-based political-risk advisory firm. "All this polarization in the society, and Erdogan increasing the tensions in a system where checks and balances are weak, increases the risk of events getting out of control very quickly."

A nonviolent end to the standoff had briefly appeared possible on Friday when Mr. Erdogan offered a deal to a group including representatives of the protesters and struck a more conciliatory tone. A spokesman for Taksim Solidarity, an umbrella group of protest organizers said on Saturday that demonstrators would reciprocate the Prime Minister's stance, fueling hopes of a peaceful resolution.

But on Saturday at midday, protesters declared that they would continue to occupy the park, alleging that the government had sought to divide, provoke and undermine support for their cause.

The demonstrators defiance led to an abrupt police incursion Saturday evening, with officials taking to the airwaves to stress that the police had no option but to clear the park.

"The police made announcements repeatedly for the protesters to evict the park. Despite these announcements, they didn't leave the park, so what could the police do?…I hope tonight will be the last night and protests will end tonight," Huseyin Celik, the deputy leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party told private broadcaster Haberturk in a telephone interview.

As anger raged among protesters on Saturday night, there was little sign the demonstrations would end, with copycat protests erupting in the capital, Ankara.

In Istanbul, the police incursion began shortly after 8.30 p.m. after security forces called for a crowd gathering at Istanbul's Taksim Square and Gezi Park to immediately disperse.

Within minutes, in the face of mounting antigovernment chants, armored vehicles mounted with water cannons started spraying demonstrators and police fired tear gas into the square and the park. The attack sent protesters scattering from their park encampment and along adjoining thoroughfares.

"They did this because the prime minister is coming Sunday and he wants to show he has won," said 34-year-old Serdar Engin, pouring lemon juice onto his eyes to ease the sting of tear gas. "But this just makes people more angry."

Less than one hour after moving on Gezi Park, police sought to fence off a perimeter around the area, firing volleys of tear-gas at gas-mask clad demonstrators gathering on adjacent streets. Police chased demonstrators along Republic Boulevard, a main thoroughfare leading toward the park, where security forces had carried out a fierce crackdown Tuesday night.

Ambulances shuttled slowly to and from the scene through the crowds. Some protesters called for calm as tear gas crept up the street, fearing of a stampede. Thousands were fleeing the crackdown in Taksim sought to take refuge in side streets, running into open stairwells to escape the gas. Demonstrators started gathering in adjacent neighborhoods, chanting "everywhere is Taksim, resistance everywhere" while calling on the government to resign. City employees, backed by bulldozers, quickly moved to clear the park of tents, banners and remains of the occupying commune as the police cleared it of protesters and sealed it off, blocking media access.

"We were in the park when they warned us, but we were determined to stay. Now I don't know if there's anyone left," said a 32-year old architect who gave her name as Seda. "There will be clashes tonight. This is not finished."

The government's push to evict protesters came after tensions escalated earlier on Saturday, as protesters rejected an offer by Mr. Erdogan to evacuate the park and bracing for the inevitable intervention.

"I don't know if anyone is still at Gezi Park…there is no reason to still camp out there," Mr. Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara, citing his proposal to wait for courts to decide on a pending appeal to cancel the project as well as a promise to take the plan to a local vote even if the government wins the legal battle.

As the prime minister addressed tens of thousands of his supporters in the capital, a similarly large number of protesters were gathered at Istanbul's Gezi Park, which has turned into a huge campsite since the occupation set up a commune in the area. Crowds spilled onto the adjacent Taksim Square, where police had cleared demonstrators and banners in a fierce crackdown Tuesday.

"If our brothers are still there, I am telling them in goodwill to please leave the area, because it belongs to all Istanbulites and it's not to be occupied by illegal groups," Mr. Erdogan said. "We have a rally in Istanbul tomorrow [at 6 p.m.] I'm telling you loud and clear, Taksim Square is either evacuated or the country's security forces will know how to clear that space."

Hours before the prime minister issued his latest salvo, Taksim Solidarity reiterated protester demands for the government to abandon plans for reconstruction of Gezi Park, to punish for the heavy-handed police response and to immediate release of all citizens arrested or detained across Turkey for taking part in the protests.

"The government couldn't reach its aims and lost its legitimacy in the eyes of the domestic and international public. Under the pressure of our rightful resistance, it came to the point of responding to our demands and debate them," the statement said, adding; "But this is only the beginning, and the resistance will continue."

Write to Emre Peker at and Joe Parkinson at