REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, ISTANBUL - Thousands of defiant protesters attempting to converge on central Istanbul's Taksim Square on Sunday were kept away by police firing repeated rounds of tear gas, as the government maintained a hard line against rekindled demonstrations.

Across the city, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's supporters gathered in their thousands for a campaign-style rally as he sought to galvanize his base after weeks of anti-government protests left his international image battered, and exposed deep rifts within Turkish society.

Police in uniform and plain clothes sealed off Taksim Square and adjacent Gezi Park, which riot police cleared of thousands of peaceful protesters in a swift but muscular operation Saturday evening. Crews worked through the night to remove all traces of a sit-in that started more than two weeks ago and became the focus of the strongest challenge to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his 10 years in office.

Istanbul's governor, Huseyin Avni Mutlu, said the square was off-limits to the public for the time being, and nobody would be allowed to gather. A spokesman for the protesters vowed the group would retake Gezi Park.

"We will win Taksim Square again and we will win Taksim Gezi Park again," Alican Elagoz said.

A call went out for another demonstration in Taksim Square for Sunday afternoon, but the area was within a tight police cordon and passers-by were being subjected to identity checks and bag searches. Thousands of protesters trying to reach the area were stuck on side streets and in nearby neighborhoods in a blanket of tear gas. Stumbling to avoid the gas, they piled into nearby cafes and restaurants, where waiters clutched napkins to their faces.

Stone-throwing youths and riot police clashed in Istanbul's Sisli neighborhood next to the Taksim area. Television footage showed police deploying two water cannon trucks against the youths, standing near a flaming barricade blocking the street. Rocks littered the roadway.

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