Turkey, protests against Istanbul mayor Imamoglu’s arrest: crowds take to the streets for democracy

Mass demonstrations in Turkey against the detention of Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul and main political opponent of Erdogan. Thousands take to the streets in Maltepe in defence of justice and freedom

The protests in Turkey against the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul and main political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, do not stop. Again on Saturday evening, on the eve of Eid al-Fitr, thousands of people took to the streets of Maltepe, on Istanbul’s Asian shore, to reiterate their ‘no’ to Imamoglu’s detention, in a wave of demonstrations reminiscent of the days of Gezi Park. The protests, led by the Chp, the opposition party of which Imamoglu is a leading exponent, are among the largest in Turkey in recent years.

According to Chp leader Ozgur Ozel, more than 2.2 million people participated in today’s demonstration, united in defending democracy and freedom in the country. Imamoglu’s wife Dilek received warm applause from the crowd as thousands of Turkish flags and pictures of Ataturk were waved. Imamoglu, in a letter, spoke to the youth, urging them to fight for the future and not to allow Erdogan to ‘manipulate the will of the people’.

The protests, which broke out after Imamoglu’s arrest on 19 March on corruption charges, provoked a harsh response from the government, with almost two thousand arrests and criticism from human rights organisations. Demonstrations continue, often degenerating into clashes with the police, who use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters.

Imamoglu, considered the only opponent capable of challenging Erdogan in the 2028 elections, was officially nominated by the CPC on the very day of his imprisonment. Erdogan has described the protests as ‘street terrorism’, while the people continue to demand ‘rights, law and justice’, responding to appeals from the opposition.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)