Turkey issues US travel warning following anti-Trump protests

Turkish government warns citizens living in and visiting the US to remain vigilant in the aftermath of the election

Police in riot gear stand guard outside City Hall during a protest against US President-elect Donald Trump in Los Angeles, California (Getty)

The Turkish government has released a warning to its citizens living in and visiting the US to avoid protests against Donald Trump in the country's major cities.

Travellers were advised to take care following an increase in racist attacks and to be cautious as protests have turned violent, in the advisory issued by the the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Demonstrations have been going on for five days in major cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles in response to Donald Trump's election victory last Wednesday. Portland police called a protest in the city a "riot" after it turned violent on its second day.

The Turkish government advisory said: “Sometimes the protests turn violent and criminal while protesters [are] detained by security forces.

"Considering the risks, we advise our citizens living and travelling to the US to follow local media, to follow the warning of our embassy in Washington and American security forces, to stay away from protests, to increase their security in work space and to apply to local security when there is a racist or xenophobic attack while keeping calm."

The statement did not directly mention Trump, but said the violence had started after the election results.

The Turkish minister of foreign affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu congratulated Trump on his election victory on Wednesday, tweeting: "We congratulate @realDonaldTrump, President-elect of the USA. We desire to reinforce with the USA our strategic co-operation based on trust."

The US had issued a similar warning for its citizens visiting Turkey in October, citing an increase in terror threats to tourists and US expats in the country.