Istanbul divided as rivals of Erdogan Arrests Sparks Anti-Government Protesters | New policies

Istanbul, Türkiye The smell of tear gas has focused on Sarachane Square in Istanbul while thousands of people gathered during the weekend to protest against the arrest of the city mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, outside the municipal seat.

The popular politician, whom the main opposition party of Turkiyes chose as a candidate for the next presidential election, was arrested on March 19. Since then, demonstrations have broken out daily, demonstrators now calling for the resignation of governments.

For supporters of Imamoglus, the decision to hold him and withdraw him from his functions is the longtime leader of Turkiyes, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tightening his grip on power.

For the government and its supporters, it is simply the judicial power that does its job.

Cinar Ileri, 28, attended demonstrations as a neutral observer.

Look, I do not in any way support imamoglu. I did not vote for him. But I think that what happened is unfair to any politician because the legal decision about it is not really a legal matter, it is a political affair, said Ileri.

The allegations of corruption tormented municipalities through the political spectrum of the Turkiyes and have been the subject of a report subject to the Turkish parliament, which argues that insufficient checks and counterweights have been applied to fight it.

However, some see that the government focuses on opposition politicians to a point that raises doubts about its commitment to justice, with the accusation that the authorities aim to reshape the political landscape.

Relatives of the government have rejected these allegations. Hilal Kaplan, a journalist close to the Justice and Development Management Party, or an AK party, who writes in the newspaper Sabah, has placed the blame at the door of the republican opposition people (CHP).

The member of the CHP who reported the case to the prosecutors' office, the one who filed a criminal complaint, the one who confessed, the one who presented the proof, the one who witnessed and even spoke the secret witness who covered his own reprehensible acts is a member of the CHP, she said in an editorial arguing that they were members of the Imamoglus who had reported.

The statement that the government has targeted imamoglu because it considers it a political threat was nothing more than a blatant lie, said Kaplan.

Slowdown in demonstrations

Imamoglu, which won two successive mayor elections in Istanbul, is widely considered as a chief political challenger of Erdogans.

Erdogan has been in power since 2003 and won the country's most recent presidential election in 2023.

In parallel with Imamoglu, Erdogan was also a popular mayor of Istanbul in the 1990s, before being imprisoned in 1999.

The day before his arrest, the diploma of the University of Imamoglus was canceled by the University of Istanbul, which said that he had been falsely obtained having a valid diploma is a prerequisite for the candidacy for the presidency.

I will continue to attend the demonstrations to see what is going on to see what people feel, what they think. And also, what it could lead, said Ileri.

After four days of demonstrations, I have the impression that there is a slowdown in dynamism within the demonstrations, he added.

Sunday evening, I was there. In my opinion, nothing special has happened. The day he was officially arrested, there was not much enthusiasm. And when people compare him to the demonstrations of the Gezi park, I do not think they correspond or even get closer in impact and power, said Ileri, referring to the antigovernmental protest movement of 2013.

We want change, we should protest

The demonstrations intervene during the sacred month of Ramadan, and many mosques in the District of Fatih, the epicenter of the demonstrations, will be filled with worshipers until late in the evening for night prayers.

Until now, there is little indication that many residents join the night manifestations.

In Anit Park, just a throw of stones from the headquarters of the municipality of Istanbul, groups of elderly men sit on benches, discussing politics while waiting for fasting day to end.

Most seem unperturbed by the riot police stationed a jet of stones or the water cannon around the region.

When they were asked if they would join the demonstrations, they just said they wouldn't.

But for Ali, a 22 -year -old student, joining the demonstrations has become a ritual almost every evening.

I don't think Imamoglu is the main problem here, said Ali. Yes, its current situation is a big problem, but we all say that we do not care about the names Imamoglu, CHP or any other political figure. Were just fed up. Failed AK Party illegal decisions, he said, referring to the Erdogan Party, which has been in power for 24 years.

We care about our lives, our freedom, which is the most important and our future. Yeah, I like imamoglu, but I don't like it. He is the best option among them, and he always tries to improve things. I believe that if the government left him, he would realize even more, he added.

Since the start of the demonstrations, the Turkish authorities have held more than 1,100 people and asked the social media platform to block certain accounts. Although the platform opposed more than 700 requests, it also suspended several accounts related to the opposition, most of which were associated with university activists organizing demonstrations.

Erdogan labeled the demonstrations of a movement of violence and said that the CHP would be held responsible for police injuries and material damage, exhorting them to stop causing the public.

Ali is imperturbable. I believe that if we want change, we should protest. If we sit down and wait, nothing will change. This is why I am so happy that we can protest, and I am so happy that we are all together, not just supporters of the CHP, he said.

The demonstrations mean everything to me because I always thought that we should all get up for our rights. As a student and member of generation Z, I know they assume that we don't care about anything, but they are shocked now because we care about our rights, and we will not give up for them, he added.

Where is justice?

Residents of the districts widely supported by the opposition to Istanbul have struck pots and pots of their windows every night since the day after the arrest of Imamoglus.

Furkan, a gymnasium coach in the Besiktas opposition district, exclaims, where is justice? Where is democracy? As he knocks his pot with a window.

Despite its night demonstration and the dozens of others in the street, Furkan is skeptical of a tilting point for a wider antigan movement. I don't see fire yet, I don't feel energy in the streets. Yes, people are upset by what happened, but that's not enough.

It is easy to see why it could be the case. On the other side of the Bosphorus in the Conservative district of Uskudar, life continues largely normal. There is no protest here, and no blows of pots and night pots.

Abudallah, 28, is part of a group of friends in Uskudar who do not protest. It does not seem to me logical to go out and defend someone whose corruption has been exposed, explains Abudallah, referring to the many cases of pending corruption against Imamoglu.

In 2019, said Abudallah, he had a certain sympathy for the mayor now supported when Imamoglu won his first election as mayor after a controversial replay.

But today's situation is entirely different, he said. There is no feeling of victimization because supporters of the AK party believe that Imamoglu is involved both in corruption and the training of money to terrorists.

I believe that the demonstrations will continue to decrease. In the coming days, with the end of the Ramadan vacation to approach, people will return to their hometown. This will not turn into mass movement. The crowd will easily forget those they have greeted once. Imamoglu will disappear from public attention, he added.

A few Uskudar races, in the trendy district of Kadikoy, a demonstration over the weekend ended with people who return to cafes, bars and restaurants.

Mesut, 32, who attended these demonstrations, said that they are generally more organized and spontaneous.

What I see is mainly young people between 20 and 25 years old, university students. They are not really part of any organization. Perhaps some of them are members of left-wing groups, but most have almost no affiliation, he noted.

This is why there is no clear organization or vision, said Mesut. People are just angry. Young people are angry, and rightly so. But I do not see any roadmap organized or planned for this activism.