Protesters on the streets of Istanbul. Photograph via Revolution News

The death of a second protester has been confirmed in the ongoing anti-government continue and gather pace around the country.

Abdullah Comert, 22, a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party died after he was shot by an “unidentified person” in the southern city of Antakya. His death comes after Mehmet Ayvalitas, 20, was hit by a car on Sunday night which ploughed into a crowd of protesters in the Mayis district of Istanbul.

The demonstrations which began last week as protests in Istanbul against the development of a shopping mall at Gezi Park, quickly escalated into a nationwide anti-government movement after riot police dealt with peaceful protesters by burning their tents, and then using tear gas, pepper spray, and high pressure water cannons in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Much more than a green demonstration, the protests are now aimed squarely at the government of prime minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is perceived to be imposing Islamic laws on the country by limiting the sale of alcohol, and his increasingly authoritarian style.

Erdogan has dismissed these dismissed any suggestion these protests were a “Turkish SPring” and has blamed the unrest on extremists and the “menace” of Twitter amongst other things. He has also increased tensions in the country further by warning protesters that he could mobile his “millions” of supporters to crush the demonstrations if he so wished. Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) won just over 50% of the popular vote in Turkey’s 2011 elections, and he warned protesters that he could “barely keep them at home”.

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has defended taken a different stance to Erdogan, protecting people’s right to protest, saying

“If there are different opinions, different situations, different points of view and dissent, there is nothing more natural that being able to voice those differences”

Now, one of Turkey’s big trade union groups, Kesk, has said that they will be staging a strike over the next two days in support of the anti-government protests that have swept across the country. Kesk represents 240,000 workers and the strike is expected to affect schools, universities, and government offices across the country. In a statement, Kesk said

“The state terror implemented against entirely peaceful protests is continuing in a way that threatens civilians’ life safety.”