Türkiye on boiling: why mass demonstrations broke out against Erdogan

Mass protests Istanbul (photo: AP)

The arrest of the Popular Mayor of the Opposition of Istanbuls has sparked generalized demonstrations across Turkey, people who descend into the streets of several cities to express their anger.
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key opposition leader and solid political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on Wednesday a few days before the CHP was to officially announce their candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
The disorders developed quickly, reaching more than two -thirds of the 81 provinces of Turkey in 48 hours, including traditional Bastions of AKP such as Konya in Central Turkey and the Black Sea regions of Trabzon and Rize.
These demonstrations have been the most important in Türkiye since the 2013 demonstrations, which began at the Gezi Park in Istanbul against its demolition and quickly spread to the national scale.
According to the AFP news agency, many young demonstrators have brought banners by reading: “We are the children of” raiders “who have now grown up”, a reference at the Erdogan term used for the demonstrators of Gezi Park when he was Prime Minister.
'The police used peppery gas, tear gas, rubber bullets'
Earlier Friday, Istanbul police used pepper gas, tear gas and rubber bullets against hundreds of demonstrators who tried to break a barrier near the historic aqueduct of the city, while the demonstrators threw enlightening rockets, stones and various objects in the police.
The authorities dispersed rallies outside the Town Hall for a third consecutive night, following the speech of the Party of the Party of the Republican Opposition People, Ozgur Ozel, supporting the mayor.
Simultaneously, the police intervened in demonstrations in Ankara and Izmir, sometimes using force, as shown in television coverage. Thousands of people participated in marches in several cities, demanding the resignation of the government.
Why was Imamoglu stopped?
The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, a strong challenger by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested during a dawn raid at his residence for allegations of financial misconduct and links with Kurdish activists.
With Imamoglu, dozens of important characters, including two district mayors, were also placed in police custody. He faced a police interrogation on terrorism -related charges, just a day after being questioned about allegations of corruption.
Earlier on Saturday, according to the newspaper of Cumhuriyet, the police interviewed Imamoglu for about five hours concerning an alleged support for the workers' party prohibited, or PKK, reported the Associated Press.
The day before involved four hours of questioning concerning allegations of corruption. The mayor denied all the charges during the two sessions. He was to be taken to a courthouse later on Saturday for the prosecutor and potential accusations.
“No tolerance for those who seek to violate order”
The Turkish government has taken a firm position against street demonstrations, Erdogan connecting the opposition to corruption and terrorist organizations. The administrative authorities of Ankara and Izmir have implemented a five -day ban on demonstrations, following the previous restrictions of Istanbul.
An anti-corruption operation in Istanbul is used as an excuse for stirring the disorders in our streets. I want it to be known that we do not allow a handful of opportunists to bring trouble to Turkey just to protect their looting patterns, said Erdogan.
The Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, announced via social media that the authorities had detained 343 people during Friday evening demonstrations in major cities, declaring that there will be no tolerance for those who seek to violate societal order, threaten the peace and security of peoples, and continue chaos and provocations.
Politically motivated attempt, arrest is a “coup”
Arrest is widely considered as a strategic decision to eliminate a prominent opposition figure that could challenge Erdogan in the 2028 presidential election. Government representatives argue that legal proceedings are independent and deny political motivations.
Imamoglu responded on Saturday via social media, qualifying his arrest as “coup d'etat” and criticizing the treatment by the government of the economy and the judicial system.
“With your support, we will first defeat this coup, then we will send the packaging that caused this,” he wrote on the social media platform X.
“Invited to all primary symbolic votes on Sunday”
The CHP has extended an invitation to all Turkish citizens to participate in the symbolic primary vote on Sunday, where Imamoglu will be appointed candidate for the party's presidential election.
“We are determined to hold this primary, although (the government) tries to block it. But that will go ahead,” said Uzgel.
The Party DEM, the third group in Parliament, approved demonstrations outside the town hall of Istanbul, which continue for three consecutive nights.
Despite government allegations of DEM's ties with the PKK, recent developments show the efforts of the administration to resolve the long -standing conflict, in particular the recent call for the disarmament of the founder of the founder of PKK, Abdullah Ocalan.
“For several years, the government has sought to divide the opposition or to keep it attached to internal problems. It has succeeded several times. But this time, the opposition thwarted this strategy,” observed.
“The next few days will be crucial,” he added.