Turkey Protests Erupt Into Riots: Ankara and Istanbul Protests Turn Into Full-Scale Riots In Response To Anti-Government Sentiment [PHOTOS]

Protests in Istanbul over the weekend erupted into full-scale riots Sunday as protesters clashed with the Turkish government over the fate of Gezi Park. The protests started peacefully last week after the government announced its plan to demolish the park, one of the last remaining green spaces in Istanbul, to make way for a shopping mall. The tension over the park is layered on top of Turkish citizens' growing concern about Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian policies.

According to Reuters, “Some, including former supporters, accuse him of growing increasingly authoritarian, muzzling the media, tightening his AK party's grip on state institutions and putting religion at the center of politics in violation of Turkey's secular constitution.”

Two weeks before the protests, Prime Minister Erdogan visited the White House to discuss matters regarding Syria, Turkey and other Middle East policies with the United States.

Protests have continued throughout the weekend as police and rioters clashed in Istanbul and Ankara. Here’s a look at the progression of the protests into full-scale rioting throughout the country.