The detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Wednesday morning resonated in Turkish society, provoking thousands of people to take to the streets of Turkey in protest.
Earlier, the opposition mayor was detained as part of a corruption case. In addition to him, arrest warrants were issued for more than 100 people, including civil servants, political activists, journalists and businessmen. Ozgur Özel, head of Turkey’s largest opposition People’s Republican Party, called it a coup attempt and urged supporters to take to the streets.
In parallel to the large-scale operation to detain İmamoğlu and other defendants in the case, the authorities imposed a ban on rallies and demonstrations in Istanbul from 19 to 23 March.
Some streets in the city were blocked, several metro lines suspended operations, and access to social media was restricted nationwide.
Immediately after the news of İmamoğlu’s detention, his supporters gathered on Vatan Street, where Istanbul’s main police department is located. Protesters chanted “Erdogan is a dictator.”
Istanbul University students also organised a protest against the cancellation of their diplomas and the detention of Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. After a while, the situation heated up, with police using pepper gas and rubber bullets against the protesters.
Meanwhile, the authorities are increasing security measures at administrative buildings, and additional police forces have been deployed to Istanbul City Hall.
