Ataturk’s secular republic is almost certainly doomed.

(Reuters) – Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of secularists protesting at a banned rally in the capital on Monday against what they see as an increasingly authoritarian and Islamist government.

The scenes of chanting men and women draped in Turkish flags and carrying banners portraying the country’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk highlight a longstanding division in Turkish society between staunch secularists on the one hand and more conservative religious Turks on the other.

Although Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan won a third term in power last year with 50 percent of the vote, many secular Turks fear his socially conservative AK Party has Islamist tendencies that threaten the secular republic founded by Ataturk.

“They are trying to turn us into another Iran or some kind of neo-Ottoman Empire. We are against this,” said retired 64-year-old Erdem Sevinc.

“We are here today to send a message to those who are trying to destroy the principles of this republic,” he said.

The local government in Ankara, also controlled by Erdogan’s AK Party, banned the rally citing “intelligence” it would be used for “provocation”, a move protesters said was designed to silence government opponents.

“Why have they banned this march? Because they are scared. They are scared of course,” said 68-year-old Metin Alkan, sporting a black tie emblazoned with Ataturk’s face.

“Look at us, do we look like a danger?” he said, laughing.

Waving Turkish flags several thousand people gathered outside the old parliament building in the city center to try to march to Ataturk’s mausoleum to mark the 89th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923.

“Resign government! Damn you Tayyip!” the crowd chanted, referring to the prime minister.

“The day will come when the AK Party will give account to the people,” they shouted.

“We are Mustafa Kemal’s soldiers! Turkey is secular and will remain secular!” others shouted.