Adding to the overall intense and eerie scene at the protests was a police helicopter that would slowly circle over the streets as the riot police moved through the alleys.

Today a series of protests kicked off in Tasksim, a central section of Istanbul about 10 minutes from our apartment.  I swung by and grabbed some photos of the aftermath, but the tear gas was still so heavy in the air your eyes sung.

You can read more about the protests here, here, and here.

So far the news is basically that there are in fact protests and the police are using tear gas and water cannons.