Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that the main opposition party is trying to cover up its own mistakes and is misleading people with "theater". He made the remarks in his first comments since the detention of the Istanbul mayor, Reuters reported, quoted by BNR.
"We have neither time to waste on pointless debates nor piles of money to throw around recklessly", Erdogan said in an address in Ankara on Monday, after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, his main political rival, was detained, BTA adds.
The problems of the Republican People's Party "are not the country's problems, but the problems of a handful of opportunists in their headquarters", he added.
"We have no time to waste with the opposition's theaters", the head of state stressed.
Meanwhile, footage from the opposition television station "Cumhuriyet TV" showed police violence against demonstrators protesting the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu.
The protesters - most of whom are young people - set off on a march demanding the release of Imamoglu and the others detained in the investigations launched this week. They wanted to reach from "Sarachane" Square to "Taksim" Square in Istanbul.
The footage released by "Cumhuriyet TV" shows riot police pushing and kicking protesters, while the screams of the demonstrators subjected to violence can be heard.
Demonstrators in Istanbul, protesting against the arrest of the city's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, were subjected to brutal police violence this evening. This can be seen in footage from the opposition television "Cumhuriyet TV", affiliated with the Kemalist newspaper of the same name, BTA reported.
The protesters - most of whom are young people - set off on a march demanding the release of Imamoglu and the others detained in the investigations launched this week. They wanted to reach from Saraçhane Square (near Istanbul City Hall) to Taksim Square. The demonstration was organized by students.
The footage released by “Cumhuriyet TV“ shows riot police pushing and kicking protesters, while the screams of the demonstrators subjected to violence can be heard.
The Istanbul Governorship has banned all public gatherings for four days (from March 19 to 23). Despite the ban, however, opposition supporters continue to organize protests.
A protest is also taking place in front of the city hall for the second consecutive night. The Republican People's Party called earlier today on citizens to participate in a rally against Imamoglu's detention this evening.
A huge number of supporters of the party have gathered in front of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality building, the newspaper reports. "Cumhuriyet".
The chairman of the People's Democratic Party (HDP), Özgür Özel, who addressed the people, said: "The squares are ours" and condemned the police actions.
A day after the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul and nearly 100 others, tensions in Turkey are rising.
On Wednesday, arrest warrants were issued for 106 people, including Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu, on charges of corruption and ties to a terrorist organization. The order was issued a day after Istanbul University revoked the mayor's diploma.
This evening, the Republican People's Party announced that it plans to organize rallies in support of İmamoğlu in many cities in the country tomorrow evening, including Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Çanakkale, Edirne, Eskişehir, İzmir, Tekirdag, the online edition of the newspaper reported. “Cumhuriyet“.
The publication also reports that a protest against Imamoglu's detention also took place in New York.