Mass detentions follow Gezi anniversary clashes

Some 120 people have been detained in Istanbul by police for their involvement in Saturday's anniversary protests held to mark last year's Gezi Park movement, Istanbul Police Chief Selami Altınok said.

Speaking to reporters at Istanbul's Taksim Square, Altınok said four police officers, including a deputy police chief, were wounded in the clashes. One of the officers was shot, while the deputy police chief was wounded by a molotov cocktail thrown by protesters, Altinok added. 

Violence seems to have erupted after police tried to stop protesters from marching towards the iconic Taksim. When the protesters refused and tried to break down barricades, riot police stepping in to disperse the crowd with tear gas and water cannon. The crowd in turn began throwing rocks, fireworks and molotov cocktails but failed to reach the square.

Several deputies from Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and People’s Democratic Party (HDP), were among the protesters that tried to gain access to Gezi. 

Police had taken strict security measures ahead of the Saturday protests which were called for by the Taksim Solidarity Group, an umbrella opposition group linked with the Gezi Park movement. The authorities had made it clear that protesters would not be allowed to enter the area.  

The Gezi Park protests broke out last in the central Taksim Square last year. While it began as a small-scale environmentally-inspired sitin, Gezi quickly grew into to a large-scale, national anti-government movement that raged for months. Eight people, including a police officer, were killed in the ensuing tensions. 

Related protests also broke out in the central Okmeydani district where protesters blocked roads and clashed with police.

Istanbul's police department said that it deployed 7,500 police officers and 50 riot control vehicles to Taksim district alone on Saturday morning, while 25,000 police officers were on duty across several other contentious districts.

Small-scale travel disturbances were reported in parts of the city. 

Turkey's capital Ankara also saw protests on Saturday at the city's main square, Kizilay where a further 45 protesters were detained.

There were also protests in Turkey's third largest city Izmir during which 65 suspects were taken into custody, as Governor Mustafa Toprak wrote on his official Twitter account.