Turkish prime minister disparages anti-government protesters as vandals, warning his patience was wearing thin by the day.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday renewed his verbal attack on anti-government protesters, warning that his patience was wearing out.
The Turkish prime minister called the protesters "capulcu', which means "vandals or looters" in the Turkish language.
"We showed patience but our patience has its limits," said Erdogan while addressing thousands of supporters at Ankara airport on Sunday, AP reported.
"I call on my brothers who are duped: please put an end to your actions. Look, we have come to these days with patience. As a prime minister I say: enough!" said Erdogan.
Addressing thousands of supporters at Ankara airport, one of six rallies planned for Sunday, the prime minister sent a strong message to the protesters that "there is an end to patience."
"With our government, our party and most importantly our nation, it is we who have defended, and are most strongly defending democracy, law and freedoms," said the prime minister.
"We were patient, we will be patient, but there is an end to patience," added Erdogan.
While thousands were cheering the prime minister and chanting slogans of support at the airport, tens of thousands of anti-government protesters flooded Istanbul streets, calling for the prime minister to step down from the post.
The anti-government protests initially started as a demonstration by a group of environmental activists opposing the conversion of a park into a shopping mall. The unrest spread and turned into a movement against the authoritarianism of the prime minister.
Sunday was the tenth day of the protest, which till date has claimed three lives.
