Pianist plays for peace in Taksim Square

Piano music marked a change from the chants of protesters and the pop of teargas canisters in Taksim Square, the heart of anti-government protests in Turkey.  Davide Martello drove with his piano from Germany to Istanbul, where  protests have raged...

Piano music marked a change from the chants of protesters and the pop of teargas canisters in Taksim Square, the heart of anti-government protests in Turkey. 

Davide Martello drove with his piano from Germany to Istanbul, where  protests have raged for two weeks.

He wants his music to bring calm to the troubled square.

"I am just playing because I want to share peace and not to attack the people.''

Martello started playing Thursday night and continued for 12 hours straight.

Protesters who met with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan overnight say he will hold off on plans to redevelop Gezi Park until a court rules on the project.

And if the court rules in favour of the government he has promised to hold a referendum.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.