Turkey, thousands take to the streets against Erdogan, more than 1100 arrested

Brussels – In Turkey, it is the fifth day of protests since Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, a Republican People’s Party (CHP) member and leading opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was arrested along with a hundred other people by Turkish police forces on corruption charges last March 19.

In 55 of the country’s 81 provinces, numerous Turkish citizens, most of them students, took to the streets to demonstrate against the arrest, especially in Istanbul, where yesterday (March 23), tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the city’s city hall, after the court validated the charges brought against its first citizen. There have been numerous clashes between protesters and police in riot gear, who employed water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

Particularly violent incidents have been filmed and broadcast from Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir, and the Turkish Interior Ministry reported this morning (March 24) in a post on X that 1,133 people have been arrested since the protests began. The CEO of X, Elon Musk, agreed to government demands and suspended dozens of university students’ accounts using the platform to call for protests. The Turkish trade union TGS reports that at least nine journalists involved in covering last night’s protests were arrested in Izmir. NGO Mlsa also reports that police physically assaulted more than 20 journalists during demonstrations over the past four days. Despite the protests, Imamoğlu’s party has urged the citizens of Turkey to cast their votes in the primary elections for the 2028 presidential election, where the mayor, the only candidate for the CHP, has garnered more than 15 million votes.

In addition to Turkey, the arrest also drew significant reactions in Germany (home to some three million people of Turkish origin): 1,300 people marched in Berlin as a sign of solidarity. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has defined the detention of Istanbul’s mayor as “depressing for democracy in Turkey,” stressing the negative impact the decision will have on relations between Europe and the Mediterranean country. Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, regarding the summit meeting scheduled for this April and aimed at mending the historically strained relations between the two countries bordering the Aegean Sea, said this morning that it is now “unlikely that (the summit) will take place in the immediate future.”

The European Commission, which has intensified relations and talks with Ankara in recent weeks, recalling the country’s EU accession process, has not condemned the accusations against Imamoğlu. However, at a press conference, Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier raised the issue of Turkey’s adherence to the principles of democracy: “As a member of the Council of Europe and an EU candidate, Turkey must uphold democratic values. The rights of elected officials, as much as the rights to peaceful demonstrations, must be fully respected.”

Ciarán Cuffe, co-chair of the European Green Party, stated: “The EU must take a firm stance against Erdoğan’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protest. It is time to end the political persecution, police violence, and massive suppression of press freedom. We call on EU Vice-President Kaja Kallas to pick up the phone to President Erdoğan and tell him to release all those unlawfully arrested.”