Protesters blocking bulldozers tear gassed in Istanbul Turkish riot police react as demonstrators protest on May 28, 2013 at the Taksim Gezi Park in Istanbul. Demonstrators oppose the building of a shopping center in Istanbul They are trying to stop bulldozers from destroying a park The Turkish government vows to go forward with project The government has taken heat over its Syria policy as well Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- Police fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters camped out in Istanbul's main commercial district early Friday. Officers in riot gear entered the Taksim Gezi Park, the site of a four-day-long protest against an urbanization project that would turn the park into a shopping mall. Demonstrators also oppose plans to rebuild historic barracks from the time of the Ottoman Empire and create a shopping arcade out of them. Protesters trying to block the bulldozers chanted slogans before police uprooted them from the park. Demonstrators and police clashed as they moved to the main commercial street, with protestors throwing bottles, setting up barricades and burning trash in the middle of the street. Small groups of protestors also clashed with police in side streets. Police also deployed tear gas in an attempt to disperse protesters on Thursday. Officers cleared out their tents and sleeping bags but failed to end to the sit-in. Social media Protesters rallied using Facebook and Twitter, and by Thursday night, the number of people in the park was in the thousands. I saw it on TV ... saw that there were people, young people taking ownership of the environment. The demonstration has grown in size since late Monday. "Gas, gas, gas, it is the only way they deal with problems," said Esen Tuna, a 21-year-old architecture student. Government insistent The government, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has made clear it will go ahead with the planned project. We've made our decision, and we will do as we have decided," Erdogan said Wednesday, according to the semi-official Anadolu news agency. "This cannot be explained by saying this is historical conservation It is not that, it is about money," said Ece Demirel, an activist with the Urban Movement Forum, an organization that tracks development projects across Turkey. Erdogan taking heat "This is only the beginning, our struggle will continue," demonstrators chanted. READ MORE: Police try to break up Istanbul shopping project protest