One man died in crackdown in Istanbul

Turkish media say that dozens of masked activists gathered at the Okmeydani Square in the Beyoglu District of Istanbul. The government gave no permission for their meeting organized to commemorate the miners killed by an explosion at a coal mine in Soma, ITAR-TASS reports.

The activists refused to obey the police order to leave. Tear gas and water cannons were used to drive them out of the square. The protesters started building barricades and throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at the police. One of the burning bottles his an armored police jeep.

One of the activists died in a hospital after receiving a grave head injury in a crackdown started by the police, Trend reports.

301 people died in the coal mine in Soma. The tragedy provoked protests in many Turkish cities. The public demanded dissolution of the government.