Istanbul , Turkey ( CNN ) -- Sitting down with the protesters in Gezi Park , the message to the government from demonstrators , young and old , seems simple enough : Do n't try to control us . Incinerated cars , desecrated monuments and homemade banners now litter Istanbul 's commercial hub , Taksim Square , after demonstrations at the weekend turned violent when police moved in to scatter protesters . `` They are trying to decide whether we drink alcohol , '' industrial design student Ozgsa Bertag-Apunaman , 20 , says calmly : `` Telling us how many children we should have and if a woman should have an abortion or not . '' He recalls how he was left breathless after being struck on the back with a tear gas canister fired by police . `` They 're aiming at us . A shell exploded on my backpack . Luckily I had it on . '' The clashes were sparked following a peaceful demonstration against the government 's proposal to uproot Gezi Park and erect in its place a shopping mall styled like a 19th-century Ottoman barracks . But for many Turks now massing in the park and on Taksim Square , a new mall is more than just another eyesore ; it is a symbol of autocratic rule from a government that , in their view , is harking back to bygone days when this city -- once considered a gateway to Asia -- was ruled by emperors . Gozde , 19 , a university pupil studying genetics , joined the protests with her mother and is worried for the future of her country under the leadership of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan . `` Everyone thinks he 's a dictator , '' she tells CNN . `` He is acting with his ego ... We 're not terrorists but that 's how he wants to show it . '' Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted party Justice and Development Party further infuriated demonstrators by labelling them `` a few looters , '' adding that the protests in Istanbul and Turkey 's capital , Ankara , are the work of opposition extremists trying to challenge the government . The prime minister has said that he could bring large crowds of his supporters onto the streets should he chose to do so . He has also attacked speculation about his position online , criticizing Twitter for helping people spread `` lies '' and saying that social media `` is the worst menace to society . '' A more conciliatory tone from the government emerged Tuesday , when Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc apologized `` for the police aggression against our citizens who were involved in the initial protests and acted with environmental concern , '' Anadolu , Turkey 's semi-official news agency , reported . Metehan , 19 , a university student studying English literature , believes the government 's latest policy initiatives and the `` brutal '' measures taken by police are a true reflection of the state of Turkish democracy . `` Democracy is not just voting but protecting the voices of the minorities , '' he says . `` Istanbul is a historical city and many cultures existed here and we want to protect this history . '' Istanbul -- a metropolis of 12 million people -- is famed as a melting pot of cultures where Christianity and Islam heritage are fused into one city . While the protests rage on in Taksim Square , much of the city remains peaceful . In the tourist hub of Sultanahmet , across the Bosphorous , it 's business as usual . But according to Ayean , 33 , a fashion designer , the `` beautiful '' mix that exists in Istanbul , along with people 's way of life in the city , is under threat . `` He [ Erdogan ] is starting to define people as alcoholics if they drink , '' she said in a reference to the recent enactment of stricter alcohol controls . `` It 's just against freedom whatever your background . '' Modern-day Turkey was founded in 1923 under secular laws which replaced traditional religious legal codes . Under Erdogan and his ruling AKP party , Turkey has lifted curbs on public expression of religion , including strict limits on women wearing Islamic-style headscarves . Rock star and environmentalist Haluk Levent , 44 , believes it 's about time that Erdogan listened to the concerns of the country 's young people . `` It does not surprise me that the police have been so brutal . The government is turning Turkey into a police state and this worries me . ''
Anti-government protests have swept Gezi Park for 44 . The message to the government from demonstrators is simply : Do n't control us . Prime Minister Haluk Levent and his party labeled the protestors as `` a few looters '' Rock star and environmentalist Erdogan , over a week , says Erdogan needs to start listening .