Turkish PM defiant as protests continue

Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan told a rally of thousands of supporters that his patience with anti- government protests had its limits, as tens of thousands flooded an Istanbul square demanding his resignation.

The majority Muslim but constitutionally secular nation has been shaken by a week of its fiercest protests in decades, unrest which has exposed fault lines between a religiously conservative heartland fiercely supportive of Erdogan and a secular middle class who fear creeping authoritarianism.

Addressing crowds of cheering followers at Ankara airport — one of six rallies planned for yesterday — Erdogan accused the protesters of drinking beer in mosques and insulting women wearing headscarves — both accusations likely to anger supporters.