Turkish protesters vote to stay put in Gezi park The demonstrators who have filled Turkey's streets and squares in recent weeks have decided to continue their protests, remaining in Istanbul's central Gezi park despite a proposal by the country's government to delay plans to build in the area. "This is just the beginning," the protesters said in a statement. The struggle continues. The decision - reached after long and impassioned discussions at protesters" forums at Gezi and elsewhere - throws the ball back into the court of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, who insisted last week that the protests would come to a speedy end. Police cleared neighbouring Taksim square of protesters four days ago, using tear gas and water cannon. But, because of the concentration of people in Gezi, where hundreds of protesters are encamped amid news television crews, a police incursion into the area could present a risk - both in terms of human injury and damage to Turkey's image. Mr Erdogan's supporters say the prime minister is backed by the majority of the population and that continuing the protests after he modified his plans for Gezi park will further alienate the demonstrators from public opinion. Mr Erdogan himself plans to demonstrate the extent of his popular support at "Respect for the National Will" rallies organised by his ruling AK party in Ankara and Istanbul on Saturday and Sunday. "Our weekend rallies are not alternative rallies to Taksim," Mr Erdogan said in a speech to parliament on Friday. We are going to the rallies to show that the real Turkey is here, not a bunch of vandals in Taksim. After consultations that lasted early into Saturday morning, Taksim Solidarity, the umbrella group associated with the protests, said an overwhelming majority of protesters had dismissed a deal proposed by Mr Erdogan, and initially endorsed by leading members of Taksim Solidarity itself. In his attempt to convince the protesters to leave, Gezi Mr Erdogan said the previous day he would delay his plans to build on the park until a court case is resolved and launch investigations into allegations of police brutality. Eyup Muhcu, president of Turkey's Chamber of Architects and one of the leading activists who met the prime minister, said the court ruling on the fate of Gezi would take at least two years, meaning the park could not be razed before then. If the court rules against the government's plans to build in Gezi, the park will remain; if the court finds for the government, Mr Erdogan has promised to take his plans to a plebiscite. But as hundreds of protesters clustered in the park to debate how to respond, almost all said the concessions were not enough to meet their demands, which have spiralled from keeping Gezi as a green space to a generalised protest at his government's alleged authoritarian strains. "Of course the prime minister has to respect the courts - that's the rule of law, it is not a concession," said Gunce, a student. In its statement on Saturday morning, Taksim Solidarity said that people were still being arrested for exercising their right to protest and that no serious investigation had begun into the deaths of four protesters. So far, according to the Turkish Medical Association, almost 7,500 people have been wounded in the demonstrations. In his speech to Turkey's parliament Mr Erdogan criticised international media coverage of the demonstrations, which his government considers to be biased, and foreign powers, notably Germany, which has been seeking to delay scheduled EU membership talks with Ankara in the wake of the protests. "It is not up to Germany to criticise us on Gezi Park," Mr Erdogan said, calling on Berlin to instead do more about neo-Nazi murders of ethnic Turks in the country. Meanwhile, a more conciliatory tone emerged from Berlin on Friday. A spokesman for the German foreign ministry repeated the government's insistence that it is not seeking to delay opening a new chapter in Turkey's EU accession negotiations for political reasons but merely because there are a number of unspecified "technical questions" to be resolved. "There is naturally no direct connection between the domestic events in Turkey . . . and the technical process of opening an accession chapter," he said. The BBC said it was discontinuing its partnership with NTV, a Turkish television news channel, after NTV decided not to transmit a regular BBC report. "Any interference in BBC broadcasting is totally unacceptable and at a time of considerable international concern about the situation in Turkey the BBC's impartial service to audiences is vital," said Peter Horrocks, BBC World Service director. Some Turkish media - including NTV - has been widely criticised for limited coverage of the demonstrations. With additional reporting by Quentin Peel in Berlin