Police have used pepper gas and water cannons to break up a protest by stone- and fire bomb-throwing youths who are protesting the International Monetary Fund for a second day.Around 300 people, mostly members of left-wing groups, gathered in the Şişli neighborhood, about a kilometer away from the venue were the annual IMF and World Bank meetings are taking place in Istanbul.
The masked protesters on Wednesday hurled stones and fire bombs at police. "IMF, get out! This world is ours," the demonstrators chanted as they unfurled a large banner reading "Long live revolution." Police responded with pepper gas, chased protesters downs side streets and detained several of them. A group of about 100 people, among them foreigners who were heard speaking in German, fled into sidestreets, breaking the windows of several banks, a fast-food shop and a supermarket.They then moved onto a nearby highway and briefly blocked traffic there, throwing stones at a police car. An officer inside the vehicle fired warning shots in the air. Another policeman was seen falling from his motorcycle after the demonstrators pelted him with stones.
On Tuesday, police took about 100 people into custody following a similar protest in which demonstrators shattered windows of shops and banks. Istanbul Governor Muammer Güler blamed the unrest on protesters "from illegal groups" and stressed that the police would not tolerate violence. "Police have taken necessary measures against groups who want to stage illegal protests in Taksim," he said. Güler said there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Turkey, except for the United States, is the first country that is hosting IMF and World Bank annual meetings for the second time. The meetings in Istanbul are to conclude on Wednesday.
Hürriyet Daily News with wires - Istanbul/Portal Turkey
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