Turkish police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters in Istanbul's central Taksim Square yesterday, who are demonstrating mainly against a government bill that would increase controls over the Internet.

Smaller demonstrations also took place in the coastal city of Izmir and in the capital Ankara, where about 300 protesters chanted slogans opposing the government and the internet bill.

The draft law that is to be debated in parliament in the coming days would allow the government to block websites without seeking a court order and it would also enable mass surveillance of Internet users.