ANKARA (Sputnik) – Police in northwestern Turkey’s Black Sea province of Artvin used tear gas to disperse environmental protesters opposing the construction of a gold mine, Turkish media reported Saturday.
Police used tear gas against about 1,000 activists who attempted to enter the city by passing over barricades, according to the Hurriyet Daily News publication.
Around 3,000 protesters have gathered in Artvin over the past week to express opposition toward Cengiz Holding Mining Company’s decision to fell up to 3,500 trees during its preparations for the mine.
Police have been dispersing protesters nearly every day since security forces began closing off roads on February 15 ahead of the arrival of bulldozers and utility vehicles.
An unreported number of protesters have been detained in the latest protests, the outlet added.
On Friday, activists demanded the resignation of the governor of Artvin.
