Thousands of people in Istanbul, Ankara and other Turkish cities have taken to the streets to protest the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Wednesday.
Immediately after mayor’s detention, the country’s authorities banned street protests for the next four days, and Istanbul police blocked some of the city’s streets and the central Taksim Square. Nevertheless, thousands of protesters gathered outside City Hall, who were addressed by Ozgur Ozel, leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). He called the mayor’s arrest a “coup attempt” and accused the country’s incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdogan of seeking to break İmamoğlu with the “cudgel of justice” for fear of losing the election to him.
The CHP leader called on Turkish residents to come out in general protests on March 23. He said:
“This Sunday we – thousands, millions – will be on the streets. And March 23 will be the harbinger of early elections.”
On March 19, several hundred people gathered outside the police station where the mayor was taken, chanting, “The day will come when (Erdogan’s) Justice and Development Party will be called to account.” The protest took place on the campus of Istanbul University. Police used riot gear to disperse the students.
In Ankara, several hundred people gathered outside the Middle East Technical University (METU), raising anti-government slogans. Police warned them against holding an unauthorised demonstration and called on them to disperse, local TV channel said. In response, the protesters pelted police with stones and five officers were slightly injured.
Later, one group of protesters marched to the Justice Ministry building, while another group headed to the city’s central square. Police fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
Protests also took place in Izmir and Trabzon.
İmamoğlu was detained in the morning of March 19. A total of 106 suspects have been issued arrest warrants as part of the investigation launched against the Istanbul municipality.
