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(Recast) Police use tear gas, water cannon to disperse protesters in Istanbul

Xinhua, November 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

Police on Saturday fired tear gas and water cannon to break up over 2,000 protesters marching in Istanbul's district of Sisli against the arrest of pro-Kurdish party members.

As clashes erupted, police also opened fire into the air, according to Twitter accounts.

Reports on social media said some ultra nationalists were taking positions in front of the police vehicles to show support for the police.

The riot police have reportedly taken extreme security measures trying to prevent some protesters from joining those amassing in front of the opposition daily Cumhuriyet building in the same neighborhood.

Earlier in the day, a Turkish court ordered the arrest of nine Cumhuriyet journalists over their suspected links to terror groups.

The co-leaders of pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party and several lawmakers from the party were arrested on Friday over what the authorities called their refusal to testify in a terrorism investigation. Endit