Tens of thousands of inhabitants of the Turkey protested on Friday against the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the largest political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. International press agencies report this. In Istanbul, the largest city in the country, at least three hundred thousand people demonstrated according to the opposition. This is the third protest in a row, after Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, was arrested on suspicion of corruption. He would be appointed presidential candidate for the 2028 elections.
As a intended foreman of the Center-Linkse Republican People’s Party (CHP), Imamoglu is seen as an important political opponent of Erdogan in the Turkish elections of 2028. Last year, the CHP beat the AK party of Erdogan in local elections in Istanbul. The arrest of Imamoglu has been strongly convicted internationally in recent days. Imamoglu himself spoke X of “a coup against the will of the people”. A Turkish political scientist calls it a “coup against the opposition“.
A demonstration prohibition applied in Istanbul on Friday. Bridges and roads were closed as a precaution. ACTIVE WIDDERS SPPERED BUT AT THE CITY. Manifestations took place in other Turkish cities, such as the capital Ankara and the coastal town of Izmir. At least 97 people were arrested in the protests on Friday, reports the Turkish Minister of the Interior Ali Yerlikaya. There would also have been hard confrontations between the police and protesters.
In protests on Thursday, the police used tear gas and rubber cogets. Dozens of activists were then arrested, just like at least 37 people who, according to the authorities, had posted ‘provocative reports’ about the arrests on social media.
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