Tens of thousands gather at pro-Erdogan rally in Istanbul

Tens of thousands of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's supporters massed at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday, as riot police fired tear gas to break up pockets of anti-government protesters in the city centre several kilometres away.

"We are the silent majority, not the riff-raff who are trying to frighten us," Ruveyda Alkan, 32, said among the sea of Erdogan's AK Party faithful at an Istanbul parade ground. (Reuters)