ISTANBUL , Turkey ( CNN ) -- Police used pepper gas and water cannons to disperse crowds of demonstrators who took to the streets Tuesday to protest a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank . A protester fires a catapult at police during demonstrations in Istanbul . Some protesters broke shop windows in and around Taksim Square before scurrying for cover as police armored cars hosed them with water . Taksim Square , in downtown Istanbul , is blocks from the site of the IMF meeting . Delegates are in the city to discuss ways to battle poverty and to strategize ways to prevent a repeat of last year 's global economic crisis . Though Turkey is one of the world 's 20 wealthiest economies , a huge income gap exists . The latest government statistics show that nearly one in five Turks lives below the poverty line , despite the country 's economy enjoying steady growth for much of the past decade . Watch CNN reporter overwhelmed by tear gas » . Over the past year , the economic crisis has pummeled Turkey 's export-driven industries , pushing unemployment to record highs . See images of protests » . The downturn has hit everyone from Istanbul 's garbage pickers , who say there is less useful trash to scavenge , to Istanbul 's cabbies , who complain that fewer customers can afford rides . iReport : Send your photos , videos . On Thursday , a protester threw a shoe at the IMF director , Dominique Strauss-Kahn , at the end of a question-and-answer session Thursday at a university in Istanbul . The shoe missed . Other demonstrators at Bilgi University unfurled a banner and chanted , `` Go away , IMF . You 're stealing money . ''
Police use water cannons to disperse anti-IMF protesters in Istanbul . Some protesters broke shop windows in and around Taksim Square . Score: 6