Thousands of lawyers took to the streets of Ankara and Istanbul Wednesday to protest the detention of dozens of their colleagues by Turkish police. The head of Istanbul’s Bar Association blasted the government:

Addressing the lawyers, Ümit Kocasakal, head of Istanbul’s Bar Association, slammed the police crackdown. “The use of gas canisters and plastic bullets is illegal and indiscriminately targeting anyone while disregarding citizens’ safety. Turkish protesters are not bugs to be killed by gassing but are human,” said Kocasakal.

Until the early hours of Wednesday morning, security forces fought running battles with the demonstrators. Up to a hundred lawyers were detained by police Tuesday while protesting in the Istanbul courthouse against the crackdown. All of have reportedly been released.

The arrests and the protests come amid weeks of domestic unrest in Turkey. Anti-government rallies have seen thousands injured and several killed, including a young man struck in the head by a tear gas canister fired to disperse protesters.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu lashed out against a European Union resolution expressing concerns that Turkish police had used excessive force against the demonstrators:

“This approach is unacceptable,” he said in response to a resolution by members of the European Parliament condemning the excessive use of force by police against protesters.

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