Turkish police have fired tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters including union workers gathered near Kizilay square in the city.

Turkish authorities arrest social media users; calls for Erdogan to resign continue

Lady in red doesn’t want symbol status

Istanbul (CNN) — Thousands of people of all ages gathered Wednesday evening in Ugur Mumcu square in Antakya, a picturesque town in the Hatay province of Turkey.

They chanted “Tayyip istifa!” or “Tayyip resign,” demanding that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan leave office. On nearly every street, CNN journalists heard pots and pans banging and saw security forces.

The authorities, who have violently clashed with protesters across Turkey, seemed to be avoiding the demonstrators.

Though it was mostly quiet around 10 p.m. local time in Antakya, it seemed that the situation nationally was only getting worse.

Anti-government riots erupt in Turkey

In a move likely to inflame the anger of Turkish protesters, authorities earlier arrested two dozen social media users on accusations of spreading false information about demonstrations sweeping the nation.

Police detained 25 people and were searching for 13 more on accusations of using social media networks such as Twitter to spread false details about the anti-government protests and police reaction to them, according to the semiofficial Anadolu Agency news service.

Read more: Is Turkey on the verge of a meltdown?

The government response to the protests — tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons — has drawn condemnation from protesters and rights groups.

Worldwide, headlines and social media have spread photos of a young woman in a red dress, apparently unarmed, being pepper sprayed by police in Istanbul. She carried only a white satchel and was walking past demonstrators when an officer lunged and sprayed her.

Even as she tried to turn away, photos show he continued spraying her, hitting the back of her neck. There have been tweets of support for the woman and the protesters. The woman, however, has said she doesn’t want the attention.

READ: Who is the now famous woman in red?

On Wednesday, an official at the police station in Izmir confirmed to CNN that some of those accused of spreading false information on social media were brought in Tuesday night and remained in custody. But the official, who declined to give his name, refused Wednesday to provide additional details.

CNN Explains: What’s driving unrest in Turkey?

The mother of one suspect told CNN that police with the Smuggling and Organized Crime Unit showed up in force looking for her daughter — a high school senior — but she refused to hand her over without assurances that she would not languish in custody.

“I’m not giving my daughter up,” teenage suspect Begum Ozpaklar’s mother said. “I spoke to our lawyer, who spoke with the police, and I’m not handing my daughter to them until I know that they will take her statement immediately.”

“Those kids are being held behind bars, no sunlight. It’s not healthy,” she said.

Twitter ‘menace’

It wasn’t immediately clear what those arrested had posted to draw the attention of authorities, but the Turkish Interior Ministry said Wednesday that false information shared over social media had “misguided the youth” and led to protests that “threatened the security of life and property of people,” according to Anadolu.

Erdogan, who has been the target of protesters’ ire over what they call his dismissive and authoritarian style, on Sunday described Twitter as society’s “main menace,” saying it is full of exaggerations and lies.