After weeks of sometimes violent confrontation with police, Turkish Gezi Park protesters have found a new form of resistance, standing still and silent.

The first such protest was carried out on Monday by dancing performance artist Erdem Gunduz.

He stood for hours at Istanbul’s central Taksim Square, in passive defiance of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The square has been sealed off from mass protests since police cleared it over the weekend, but have not stopped pedestrians from entering.

Others have now copied Mr Gunduz around Istanbul and other cities, and the act provoked widespread comment on social media.

Erdem  Gunduz’s vigil was broken up by police early on Tuesday after others joined him.

A police crackdown that began on May 31 against environmentalists and other activists in Taksim Square set off protests nationwide.

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