Asia-Pacific

Massive demonstrations in Turkey after the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor

- 10:04 am
Hundreds of thousands of Trucs demonstrate in several Turkish cities (capture X) Monster demonstrations in several Turkish cities (capture X)

Hundreds of thousands of Trucs demonstrate in several Turkish cities (capture X) Monster demonstrations in several Turkish cities (capture X)

Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and many other Turkish cities on Friday to express their support for Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival.

According to Al-Jazeera, the mayor was arrested on Wednesday, just a few days before the planned announcement of his candidacy for the 2028 presidential election. The Qatari channel points out that “dozens of other personalities, including journalists and businessmen” were also arrested on the same day, and that the government subsequently announced “a four-day ban on political demonstrations”. This ban was largely ignored by supporters of Mr. Imamoglu, who have been demonstrating since Wednesday despite violent confrontations with the police.

Violent clashes between demonstrators and police

According to Deutsche Welle, “riot police fired rubber bullets and pepper spray at demonstrators in Istanbul, while members of the crowd threw flares”. In Izmir, “police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators”.

CNN reports that during Thursday’s violence, “at least 16 police officers were injured in clashes with demonstrators” and “at least fifty-three people were arrested”.

The largest gathering was held in front of Istanbul City Hall, where Özgür Özel, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP, social democrat) – Imamoglu’s political group – claimed “300,000 people” were present.

The biggest demonstrations since the Gezi uprising

According to El País, these three days of demonstrations “are already the largest since the so-called Gezi revolt in 2013, the biggest challenge Erdogan has faced in his more than two decades at the helm of the country”. The Spanish newspaper points out that Erdogan still regards the event as “a conspiracy directed by outside forces” and uses it “even today to prosecute activists and journalists”.

The BBC reports that the Turkish president condemned the growing number of rallies on Friday. In a speech, Mr. Erdogan declared that his government would not “give in” to “vandalism” or “street terrorism”, as further demonstrations are planned for the weekend.

Imamoglu denounces “judicial harassment”

Meanwhile, the mayor of Istanbul was questioned for several hours on charges of “corruption” and “terrorism”. According to the daily Hürriyet, he claimed to have “committed no crime”.

The investigation focuses on the municipality’s tendering process, but Mr. Imamoglu stressed that, like “previous mayors of Istanbul, he was not personally involved in the tendering process or its supervision”.

“If I’m here, it’s only because of political intervention and an example of political targeting against me,” he said, denouncing ‘judicial harassment’.

A crucial moment for Turkish democracy

In Politico Europe, Turkish parliamentarian Bilal Bilici, also a member of the CHP, calls on the opposition to “remain united” and “channel public resentment into organized political action” to resist President Erdogan’s “authoritarian drift”.

“Imamoglu’s arrest is not just about one man,” he writes. “It is about whether Turkey will remain a democracy or sink further into authoritarian rule. The outcome of this struggle will determine the country’s future for generations to come.”

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