http://www.euronews.com/ Police in the Turkish capital Istanbul have clashed with protesters occupying the city's Taksim Gezi park. The activists have been camping there for three days in an attempt to stop it being demolished.

Local media said that authorities used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. At least one person was reportedly hospitalised.

The determined environmentalists are continuing to occupy the park, even after being chased out early on May 30 by police.

Once the site was cleared, demolition work began. But it soon ground to a halt after Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a member of parliament for the Peace and Democracy party, stood in front of one of the bulldozers for three hours.

Protesters then returned to the park and set up their tents again.

The activists want to preserve Taksim Gezi as a green space - amid plans to renovate it for a widened road, a shopping centre and new housing.

The Turkish government said that the construction work would go ahead as planned.

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