(ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />Protesters in the Aegean coastal city of Izmir clashed with police on Friday (May 31) as they took to the streets to show solidarity with thousands of demonstrators in Istanbul.<br/> <br />Protesters chanted anti-government slogans and pelted riot police with stones. Police used water cannon to disperse the crowd.<br/> <br />The unrest reflects growing disquiet over what they see as the authoritarianism of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).<br/> <br />Riot police clashed with tens of thousands of May Day protesters in Istanbul this month. There have also been protests against the government's stance on the conflict in neighbouring Syria, a tightening of restrictions on alcohol sales and warnings against public displays of affection.<br/> <br />The protest in Istanbul at Taksim Gezi Park started late on Monday (May 27) after trees were torn up under a government redevelopment plan but has widened into a b
