Ten thousand mourners marched through Istanbul today to honour a man killed by crossfire in clashes between police and anti-government protesters, as fresh running battles the shook city's streets.
Riot police clad in heavy body armour used tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds as rioters blocked roads and burned tyres in the second day of demonstrations, said an AFP photographer on the scene.
A second person died from injuries today after being hit by a grenade explosion during violent clashes overnight yesterday, Istanbul governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu said.
Meanwhile some 10,000 people flocked to the funeral of the first victim of the clashes, Ugur Kurt, chanting "Murderer state" and "You will be accountable to us".
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan defended the police's actions, branding the demonstrators "terrorists".
"I don't understand how police can maintain their patience," during an address to his party lawmakers today.
"When these terrorists are smashing windows, how can police wait with their hands tied?"
Demonstrators have taken to the street to vent their anger over last week's mine disaster in the western town of Soma and to commemorate the death of a teenage boy from injuries sustained during anti-government unrest last year.
Mutlu blamed masked and armed groups for seeking to sow chaos in Turkey's financial capital. At least eight police officers and another person have already been injured in the clashes, he said.
In the restive Okmeydani district, which has been the scene of sporadic clashes, some 10,000 people flocked to mourn Kurt who died from gunshot wounds to the head.
The father-of-one was attending a funeral in a house of worship belonging to the Alevi branch of Islam when he was caught in the crossfire of clashes between police and some 50 protesters.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc on Thursday said may have come from an errant shot fired by a police officer.
"The police are terrorising this country," Simay, a young woman at the scene, told AFP.
"He came to bury someone yesterday and he will be buried today," protesters shouted as they marched through the streets.
Video footage showing Kurt falling to the ground in a pool of blood has gone viral on social media websites, sparking renewed outrage on the streets of the Okmeydani, home to the minority Alevi community.
