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Thousands Of Turkish Lawyers Join Protests

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Some thousands of Turkish lawyers hold a banner that reads " we want justice" as they march in support of anti-government protests in Ankara, Turkey, early Wednesday, June 12, 2013. (Burhan Ozbilici/AP)
Some thousands of Turkish lawyers hold a banner that reads "we want justice" as they march in support of anti-government protests in Ankara, Turkey, early Wednesday, June 12, 2013. (Burhan Ozbilici/AP)

Thousands of black-robed Turkish lawyers stormed out of their courthouses Wednesday, shouting about the rough treatment police dished out to their colleagues amid Turkey's biggest anti-government protests in years.

The rallies by clapping, chanting jurists added a new twist to the nearly two weeks of protests that started in Istanbul and spread to dozens of other Turkish cities.

The protests have shaped up as the biggest test yet in the 10-year rule of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamic-rooted government.

After a night of fierce overnight clashes between protesters and riot police in Istanbul's Taksim Square, an “uneasy calm” has descended, the BBC reports.

There was talk that Erdogan would meet with protesters on Wednesday, but he is meeting instead with group of 11 people, including an actress, a singer and a writer, in the hopes that they can mediate with the protesters.

Protest organizers say the group meeting with the prime minister does not represent them.

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this article.

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This segment aired on June 12, 2013.

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