Turkey escalates media crackdown over protest coverage

ISTANBUL:

Turkey stepped up its crackdown on both student protesters and press coverage of the mass demonstrations gripping the country on Thursday, generating defiance but also a growing sense of fear.

"It's a bit scary today, there are too many police," a 21-year-old protester called Raftel told AFP at a rally in Istanbul, his face covered by a mask.

"We're here for our rights but I'm scared," he said, his words echoing the unease felt by thousands of young demonstrators who are still flooding Istanbul's streets, eight days after the arrest of its mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.

Turkey's response to its worst bout of street unrest since 2013, has drawn criticism from across Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday sharply rebuked Ankara over its "systematic attacks" on opposition figures, civil society, freedom of assembly and "the Istanbul mayor's arrest and jailing".