ANKARA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, rejecting statements from Washington which criticized police "crackdown" on anti-government protesters in the country, a Turkish diplomat told Xinhua Wednesday.
"Similar protests happened in other countries, including Europe and the United States, but they are not considered unexceptional," Davutoglu said during a phone call to Kerry on Tuesday, wondering why demonstrations in Turkey are regarded extraordinary.
"This is not a second-class democracy in Turkey," the minister told Kerry, stressing people have rights to stage demonstration.
Similar protests were also held in the United States, such as Occupy Wall Street movement, he noted.
Washington recently issued statements over protests in Turkey, urging Ankara to respect the rights of its political opponents.
The protests started a week ago when a group of environmentalists gathered in Gezi Park in Istanbul to protest against the government's plans to build a replica of Topcu Barracks over the park as part of a Taksim urban renewal project.
Hundreds joined the group later after the police used pepper spray and teargas to disperse them. After that, thousands of protesters took to the streets in Istanbul and several provinces nationwide to show support for the demonstrators and protest against policies of Erdogan's government.
The Turkish Medical Association said Wednesday that three people have been killed in the wave of demonstrations across Turkey, and that 4,177 protesters from 12 provinces were injured.
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