Turkey protests: Clashes continue despite PM's warning 11 June 2013 Last updated at 22:25 Clashes between Turkish police and protesters have resumed in Istanbul's Taksim Square, despite a warning from PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he would not show "any more tolerance". Police firing tear gas cleared the square on Tuesday morning, but protesters returned later in the day. Istanbul's governor, Huseyin Avni Mutlu, said operations would go on night and day to clear the square. Protests began 12 days ago over the redevelopment of nearby Gezi Park. The protests then widened, with demonstrators accusing Mr Erdogan's government of becoming increasingly authoritarian and trying to impose conservative Islamic values on a secular state. "We will continue our measures in an unremitting manner, whether day or night, until marginal elements are cleared and the square is open to the people," Mr Mutlu said in televised comments. But he also said the action would "be conducted with care, in front of our people's eyes, in front of televisions and under the eyes of social media, with caution and in accordance with the law". The BBC's Jeremy Bowen in Istanbul says that more demonstrators are pouring into Taksim Square, and more action by police can be expected. This looks as if it will go on all night, our correspondent says. 'It's over' Mr Erdogan defended the police intervention on Tuesday, saying that an environmental movement had been hijacked by people who wanted to harm Turkey. In a televised speech to members of parliament belonging to his Justice and Development Party (AKP) that was frequently interrupted by applause, he asked: "They say the prime minister is rough. So what was going to happen? "Were we going to kneel down in front of these [people]? "If you call this roughness, I'm sorry, but this Tayyip Erdogan won't change." "To those who... are at Taksim and elsewhere taking part in the demonstrations with sincere feelings: I call on you to leave those places and to end these incidents and I send you my love. "But for those who want to continue with the incidents I say: 'It's over.' "As of now we have no tolerance for them." Nationwide protests Early in the day, police made loudspeaker announcements, telling protesters to withdraw from the square, before using water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets to clear them. Bulldozers were sent in to clear barricades and shelters. Tuesday morning's operation was seen as a show of force by the Turkish police Protesters in Taksim Square were targeted with tear gas and water cannon Police lines also came under attack Most protesters fled after the police moved in, some seeking refuge in Gezi Park After protesters returned to the square later in the day, police tackled them again, firing more tear gas Clashes continued late into Tuesday evening They also removed protesters' banners from a building overlooking the square, replacing them with the national flag and a portrait of the father of the Turkish state, Kemal Ataturk - who has also been used as a symbol by demonstrators. The protests began on 31 May. The Turkish Human Rights Foundation says four people have been killed, including one policeman. Some 5,000 protesters have been treated for injuries or the effects of tear gas, while officials say 600 police have also been injured. Protests have also occurred in the capital, Ankara, with smaller demonstrations in many other cities. Police in Ankara have used water cannon and tear gas to break up demonstrations almost every night.

The EU is demanding assurances that Europeans are not having their rights infringed by a massive US surveillance programme. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding plans to raise the concerns with US Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday. Last week a series of leaks by a former CIA worker led to claims the US had a vast surveillance network with much less oversight than previously thought. The US insists its snooping is legal under domestic law. The Obama administration is investigating whether the disclosures by former CIA worker Edward Snowden were a criminal offence. More revelations promised Mr Snowden's employer, defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, said on Tuesday it had fired the 29-year-old infrastructure analyst for violating its ethics code. US officials say the snooping programme known as Prism, revealed in last week's leaks, is authorised under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa). It gives the US National Security Agency (NSA) the power to obtain emails and phone records relating to non-US nationals. But details about the individuals targeted under the act remain secret, and there are concerns the NSA is overstepping its powers. Documents leaked to the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers claimed the US authorities had direct access to the servers of nine major US technology firms, including Apple, Facebook and Google. Mr Snowden told the Guardian that individual operatives had the power to tap into anyone's emails at any time. Although the firms have denied granting such access, saying they agreed only to legal requests, US officials have admitted Prism exists. Russia 'consider' asylum One of the Guardian journalists who wrote the Prism stories, Glenn Greenwald, has promised "more significant revelations" to come. In the US, the controversy has focused on the possibility that conversations of US citizens may inadvertently be captured. But overseas, governments and activists point out that US law provides foreigners with no protection. Justice Commissioner Reding tweeted : "This case shows why a clear legal framework for the protection of personal data is not a luxury but a necessity." Mr Snowden is believed to be in hiding a day after he reportedly checked out of a Hong Kong hotel. In the US, Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, said the person responsible for the leak should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. He said privacy concerns were understandable, given the scope of the programmes, but added it was hard to comprehend why Mr Snowden would give information to US enemies. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate intelligence committee, said the American authorities were "aggressively" pursuing him. The California Democrat also accused Mr Snowden of "an act of treason". The top Republican in the US House of Representatives, Speaker John Boehner, labelled Mr Snowden a "traitor". In other developments on Tuesday: A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would consider granting asylum to the American, should he ask for it Google asked the justice department to release every government information request to prove it did not give officials "unfettered access" to user data The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a liberal advocacy group, has filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration challenging the legality of its phone surveillance programme The government began wireless wiretapping after the 9/11 attacks, but the surveillance policy expanded under President Barack Obama.