Masses of students flooded the streets of Istanbul in the latest demonstrations against the arrest and imprisonment of the city’s opposition mayor, leading to some of Turkey’s most significant unrest in years.
The protests commenced following Ekrem Imamoglu’s arrest on March 19, rapidly spreading to over 55 of Turkey’s 81 provinces and resulting in confrontations with riot police, along with widespread international criticism.
According to the interior minister, more than 1,100 individuals, including ten journalists, have been detained by police.
Mr. Imamoglu, 53, from the opposition CHP party, is widely regarded as the sole politician capable of unseating Turkey’s long-standing leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an election.
In both Istanbul and the capital city of Ankara, students began to assemble in the early afternoon after declaring their decision to boycott lectures at the leading universities in both locations.
In Istanbul, crowds of chanting, flag-waving students moved through the streets toward Besiktas, a port located on the Bosphorus, while residents cheered and struck pots and pans in a display of support, as reported by AFP correspondents.
Gatherings took place in the Besiktas area of Istanbul.
‘Your palaces, our streets’
After gathering near the port, the students started marching along the coastline towards the historic peninsula to participate in the nightly protests outside City Hall, according to an AFP correspondent.
“This is not just a meeting; it is an act of defiance against fascism!” exclaimed CHP leader Ozgur Ozel to the large crowd, which waved numerous banners, including one directed at Mr. Erdogan that read, “Palaces are yours, but the streets are ours.”
Following a cabinet meeting, Mr. Erdogan once again accused the opposition of inciting the protests.
“Stop playing with the nation’s nerves,” he stated, while also asserting that the Turkish economy was under control, claiming the government had “successfully managed the last market fluctuation.”
The actions against Mr. Imamoglu have severely impacted the lira and created turmoil within Turkey’s financial markets.
The benchmark BIST 100 stock index fell by nearly 8% on Friday but managed to recover somewhat today, closing the session approximately 3% higher.
Just yesterday, Mr. Imamoglu was overwhelmingly selected as the CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential election, with analysts suggesting this impending primary triggered the actions against him.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested last week.
His incarceration has received strong condemnation from Germany, which labeled it “totally unacceptable,” while neighboring Greece indicated that attempts to undermine civil liberties “cannot be tolerated.”
The European Union urged Ankara to show “a clear commitment to democratic norms.”
Overnight, France’s foreign ministry described Imamoglu’s arrest as “a serious attack on democracy.”
‘Stop targeting journalists’
Before dawn, police took ten Turkish journalists into custody at their homes, including an AFP photographer, “for covering the protests,” according to the MLSA rights group.
This action was condemned by the Journalists’ Union of Turkey, the Turkish Journalists Association, and several other organizations.
“Stop targeting journalists!” they stated in a joint message, emphasizing that many journalists faced police violence, tear gas, and plastic bullets while reporting.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) demanded the “release of the arrested journalists,” stated Erol Onderoglu, the group’s representative in Turkey.
The arrests were also criticized by Mr. Imamoglu’s wife.
“What is being done to the media and journalists is a matter of freedom. None of us can stay silent about this,” Dilek Kaya Imamoglu posted on X.
Mr. Imamoglu, who has condemned the legal actions against him as a political “execution without trial,” sent a resolute message from jail through his lawyers.
“I wear a white shirt that cannot be stained. I possess a strong arm that cannot be bent. I will not yield an inch. I will win this war,” he declared.
