As protests in Turkey enter their sixth straight day, the earnestness of demonstrators seems to have evolved beyond telling Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan: "Tayyip, Winter is coming."
What began as a sit-in over the destruction of trees in a public park morphed into an indictment of Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian leadership style and efforts to introduce more restrictive laws.
On Tuesday night thousands remained at a makeshift camp near Gezi park in Taksim Square, which Daren Butler and Humeyra Pamuk of Reuters report "is taking on the look of a more enduring settlement" with small tents, foods, face masks, and a nascent library.
The hunkering down comes after days of violent clashes.
"It is a war zone out there,"An Australian man working in Istanbul told ABC newson Monday. "Thousands upon thousands of people chanting and building barricades and storing water strategically for later use when the gas starts again. These guys take their rioting seriously."
Pictures from Tuesday night illustrate the progression.
Here's a group of protesters staring down of a water cannon (notice the hard hats):
This protester — standing in front of one the jerry-rigged barricades while wearing a real gas mask— is gesturing towards riot police after they fired tear gas.
Here's a closer look at a barricade (and the hard hats):
All is not quasi-warlike — despite 25 people being arrested for Tweets, three people having been killed, and at least 3,195 people were injured (26 critically) in clashes Sunday and Monday alone not to mention.
Levity serves as a source of vitality.
The outcry has been stoked by Erdogan, who remains defiant.
“A mosque will be built in Taksim,” Erdogan said earlier this week, adding that he did not have to receive permission from the main opposition leader or a “few marauders” for the projects. His position is that the authority had already been given by people who voted for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Here are a couple of the police, who have been at times ruthless and sadistic while backing Erdogan:
Most significantly, the dissidence is not just coming from the "extremist fringe" as more than a dozen unions — Taksim Square is a popular gathering place for the country's labor movement — have joined the cause.
Demonstrators are demanding that the government abandon plans to redevelop Gezi park, which lies in the heart of Istanbul, and that it sack authorities deemed responsible for violence during recent clashes.
Rallies continue across the country on Wednesday.
BONUS (lest we forget): The lady in red
SEE ALSO: The Stunning Image Of 'The Lady In Red' Will Endure Even After The Turkey Protests End
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