The focus in Turkey turns today to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who returns from a tour of North Africa to face mass demonstrations across the country against the actions of his government.

In Istanbul's Taksim Square, which has been the scene of violent clashes between police and protesters over the past week over a plan to redevelop a nearby park, the mood was more festive Thursday morning, CBC's Derek Stoffel reported.

"The mood here has changed," he said. "The police, it seems, are more hesitant to use force. So in the park where these demonstrations started, it's much more of a festival atmosphere right now."

There was music, free food and water for the protesters, and many people had their faces down into their smartphones — on Twitter, as the Turkish media have been slow to cover the story, Stoffel reported.

The demonstrations have spread to at least 60 Turkish towns.

More conciliatory

Erdogan has angered many Turks with his hard line on the demonstrations, calling the protesters looters. Many people are waiting to see whether his tone has changed, Stoffel said.

On Wednesday, the deputy prime minister was reported to be taking a more conciliatory approach to protesters.

Still, people in Taksim Square remain skeptical.

"In order for these people to leave, the government has to be more proactive," Ahmet Berkman, a protester, told Reuters.

"By proactive, I mean they have to come down here and communicate with these people directly, because they want to be heard and they want to be acknowledged. And I don't think an insincere apology by government officials on TV is … going to solve this."

Thousands protest

On Wednesday, thousands thronged Taksim Square for a sixth straight day. Violent clashes broke out in the capital of Ankara, where riot police used tear gas and water cannons to subdue protesters.

Nearly 1,000 people have been injured and more than 3,300 people detained since Friday, according to the Ankara-based Human Rights Association.

Office workers in business suits chanted anti-government slogans alongside pious women wearing Muslim headscarves. Schoolchildren and bearded anarchists rubbed shoulders with football fans, well-heeled women in designer sunglasses and elderly couples donating food.

These disparate groups are united by alarm at what they consider unwarranted meddling and increasingly autocratic behaviour by Erdogan, Turkey's most popular prime minister in decades. Even some of his supporters are joining the protests.

With files from Reuters, The Associated Press