Turkey's opposition party leader accused the PM of escalating tensions and dragging the country 'into the fire'

Turkey's opposition party leader accused the prime minister of escalating tensions and dragging the country "into the fire" as enduring anti-government protests that have led to three deaths continued on Monday. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan headed a Cabinet meeting to discuss the protests, the first serious challenge to his 10-year rule. On Sunday he had made a series of fiery speeches in three cities, saying the government's patience is running thin, demanding an end to the protests and threatening to hold those who do not respect his government to account. Erdogan has also called major pro-government rallies in Ankara and Istanbul next weekend, apparently aiming to intimidate the protesters by showing that he, too, can get large numbers of his supporters out on the street. Hurriyet newspaper on Monday quoted Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of the opposition Republican People's Party, as calling on Erdogan to reduce tensions.