Turkish Leader Says Razing of Park to Proceed

Flanked by his wife, Mr. Erdogan made his way through the crowd, boarded a bus and grabbed a microphone to deliver an emphatic speech in which he gave no ground to his opponents, calling them vandals and saying the demonstrations must end. He also sought to position himself as a leader of all Turks.

“Tonight is not only you,” he said. “I am addressing everyone in every city of Turkey.”

Invoking his faith and those of his followers, he said, “Nobody can stop Turkey’s rise but Allah.”

Mr. Erdogan’s supporters, which state news media estimated in the tens of thousands, waved placards and chanted, “We are the soldiers of Erdogan!” and “Istanbul is here, where are the looters?”

The show of support had the air of a political rally and served as a reminder to the country, supporters and opponents alike, that Mr. Erdogan is still a vastly popular leader among many Turks.

As the protests unfurled, Mr. Erdogan threatened to mobilize his own supporters, and on Thursday night he did. His Justice and Development Party bused supporters to the airport late Thursday, and the Istanbul subway stayed open later to accommodate them.

In yelling, “Show us the road and we will crush Taksim,” his euphoric supporters showed that they are equally passionate in their backing of Mr. Erdogan as the protesters are against him.

Even before his arrival, Mr. Erdogan had doubled down on his intransigence toward the protesters’ demands, saying in a joint news conference in Tunis with his Tunisian counterpart that a redevelopment project that included the destruction of a park in the center of this city would proceed as planned. As he spoke, prices began falling on the Istanbul Stock Exchange as investors fretted that his unyielding stance could lead to more unrest.

Mr. Erdogan’s continued hard line followed more conciliatory comments from other members of his government that came in his absence, and with the end of the workweek approaching the country was girding for larger protests in Taksim Square.

The protesters initially mobilized against the destruction of the park but later widened their set of grievances into a broad rebuke of what they consider the authoritarian style of the prime minister and the Justice and Development Party. As they anticipated Mr. Erdogan’s arrival, some joked that they felt like misbehaving children awaiting their father’s return.

“Papa’s coming home, and when he sees what we have been up to he’s going to be really angry,” said Cem Gokceer, one of the protesters.

With Mr. Erdogan out of the country, Taksim Square had taken on an atmosphere of celebration, but the mood on Thursday turned more defiant, especially after the prime minister’s news conference from Tunisia was broadcast to the country, and could be more so on Friday after his early-morning address.

“Bring it on, the dictator has spoken!” shouted Ozgur Keskin, 23, into a microphone. “You want our park? Come get it from us!”

The protesters were originally objecting to the government’s plans to raze Gezi Park in Taksim Square, the last significant green space in central Istanbul, and erect a replica of an Ottoman-era military barracks that would house a shopping mall. Mr. Erdogan has also said that a cultural center might be built inside, instead of a mall.

“We are going to rebuild Topcu Kislasi in accordance with its original plan,” he said, referring to the name given to the barracks. “We are rebuilding a monument that existed there in the past.”

“We planted many trees in the last 10 years,” he continued. “Our Taksim project is one that holds history, environment and culture together. This project will create a beautiful environment in Istanbul.”

So far, two protesters have been killed in the civil unrest, which has drawn a violent response from riot police officers using tear gas and water cannons. Interior Minister Muammer Guler, in a statement on Thursday reported by the semiofficial Anatolian News Agency, said 79 people received medical treatment for injuries in the riots. Four were in critical condition. Independent medical sources said Wednesday that more than 2,000 had been injured.

Ceylan Yeginsu contributed reporting.

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