Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has rejected European Union concerns about the police clearance of Taksim Square as he warned protesters that the time had come to clear the square.

"Nobody can invade the park. Therefore we have been patient till now but now patience is running out. This is my final warning. I am calling on mothers and fathers, please do something about your children," the prime minister said.

The prime minister's words are likely to raise fears that another police crackdown is imminent.

Turkey has already received condemnation for its heavy handed response to the protests, with the EU calling on Erdogan's government to investigate cases of excessive force.

But demonstrators in Istanbul were defiant, despite the tear gas and water cannons they faced a day earlier.

The protests in Istanbul were sparked by an unpopular redevelopment plan to destroy Gezi Park.

Following attempts to suppress demonstrations, the protests grew into a movement against Erdogan's government and spread to other cities across Turkey.