Thousands in Turkey have taken to the streets over the past five days in what is said to be the biggest nationwide protests in the country since 2013, following the arrest of the opposition mayor Ekren Imamoglu.
Such is the intensity of the demonstrations, Turkey’s government has detained media workers and protesters, and is seeking to block 700 accounts on social media site X.
The New Arab takes a look at this pivotal moment for Turkey.
Who is Ekrem Imamoglu?
The protests come following the detention and arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor and presidential candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, on Wednesday.
Imamoglu, 54, is a member of Turkey’s oldest political party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), and has been touted as a potential rival of Turkey’s longtime president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He was elected as mayor of Istanbul in 2019, a victory which at the time was seen as a major blow to the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) which held the city for the prior 15 years.
In 2022, he was sentenced to two years and seven months in jail for “insulting” election officials, although he has appealed the decision.
He then went on to win the mayorship in 2024 in an election that saw the CHP sweep to victory through several major Turkish cities including the capital Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, and Bursa – in a sign of protest against Erdogan.
Wednesday’s arrest
Imamoglu was detained on Wednesday on two main accusations, one linked to corruption and another for alleged support of terrorism groups, both accusations slammed by the CHP.
The corruption charge, which was formalised on Sunday, includes “establishing and leading a criminal organisation; accepting bribes; corruption; illegally recording personal data; and rigging tenders”, according to a detention order obtained by AFP.
However, charges of supporting a terrorist organisation have not been formalised, according to Imamoglu’s lawyers.
Alongside Imamoglu, 47 other people were arrested, including two district mayors of Istanbul, with 44 others detained but since released under judicial control.
Following his formal arrest, Turkey’s interior ministry said that Imamoglu was removed from his duty as mayor and is being held in Silivri prison west of Istanbul.
Largest protests since 2013
The arrest of Imamoglu has galvanised supporters of Turkey’s opposition, who have flooded the streets in support of the mayor.
According to the organisers of rallies in Istanbul, 300,000 people took part in protests on Saturday alone, while others have taken place in 55 of 81 of Turkey’s provinces.
The last time major demonstrations took place in Turkey on this scale was in 2013 during the Gezi protests, which were initially against the demolition of a local park in Istanbul but expanded nationwide.
The protests have seen fierce clashes with police, with riot police beating and kicking protesters in a bid to disperse crowds. Tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray, and percussion grenades have also reportedly been used by police against protesters.
According to Turkey’s ministry of interior, 1,133 people have been detained in the protests, with Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya accusing some of the arrested as being affiliated to 12 different terrorist organisations. The government has also detained 10 journalists who were covering protests.
Additionally, the government has sought to shut down 700 accounts on social media site X, the platform said, which includes accounts of news organisations, journalists, political figures, and students.
CHP defiance
Although the government has sought to double down on the decision and crackdown on protests, the CHP has come out in support of Imamoglu.
A primary for the CHP’s presidential candidate on Sunday saw a turnout of 15 million people, according to Istanbul city hall, which said that Imamoglu has been voted to become the party’s 2028 presidential candidate.
Of the 15 million that voted, only 1.7 million were members of the CHP, with 13.2 million non-members also voting after the party opened the ballot.
Imamoglu’s wife, Dilek Kaya Imamoglu, wrote on X: “I invite our nation… to the ballot box. We are casing our vote to support President Ekrem: for democracy, justice and the future.”
Imamoglu himself has made statements, telling supporters through lawyers that “we will erase this black stain in our democracy” saying he will not back down.
CHP leader Ozgur Ozel has also called on supporters to boycott pro-government media, which have refrained from covering the protests.
