Fake Turkish banknotes given out in anti-corruption demonstration

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Members of a Turkish opposition party have distributed fake banknotes in a protest in Istanbul against alleged government corruption, officials say.

In a march sponsored by the Republican People's Party (CHP), demonstrators chanted "We will 'zero' [erase] corruption," Today's Zaman reported Wednesday.

The chant alluded to an alleged voice recording of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan telling his son to "zero" at least $1 billion in cash kept at five houses. The conversation, allegedly made on Dec. 17 as police conducted a number of raids as part of a corruption investigation, was posted on YouTube and listened to by 4 million people in one day.

Demonstrators were blocked by police from proceeding to Taksim Square, where protests have been banned following the Gezi Park protests in June 2013, the report said.

Tuesday evening, thousands of people in 11 cities across Turkey participated in protests against the corruption scandal.

A campaign begun on Twitter has called on people to write "Hirsuz var" ("There is a thief around us") on banknotes.