After the arrest of opposition politician Ekrem Imamoglu on Wednesday, mass demonstrations in his defense have again taken place in Turkey. The Istanbul protest drew 300,000 people, and protests were also held in Ankara, Izmir and Trabzon.
In Istanbul, where Imamoglu is mayor, police used pepper spray and rubber bullets against protesters. People chanted "Government down!". Tear gas and water cannons were also used to disperse the demonstrators. Many people were arrested - 97 according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who wrote this on the X platform.
Erdogan speaks of "street terror"
Turkish President Erdogan described the demonstrations as "street terror". Turkey was not a country that was found on the streets and "will not succumb to street terror", Erdogan said. The opposition was trying to use the investigations against Imamoglu as a pretext to create chaos on the streets. "We will not accept the violation of public order under any circumstances."
Imamoglu was arrested days before his planned nomination as the presidential candidate of the main opposition Republican People's Party - on charges of terrorist activity and corruption. The opposition accuses the government of trying to eliminate Imamoglu as a competitor. Analysts warn that a new escalation of tensions is possible today and tomorrow.