Tuesday 25 / March / 2025
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said protests over the jailing of Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, have turned into a "movement of violence."
The detention and arrest of Imamoglu, who is Erdogan's main political rival, has led to the largest street protests in Turkey in over a decade.
Erdogan accused the opposition CHP of provoking the protests. "Stop playing with the nation's nerves," he said.
"The main opposition is responsible for our injured police officers, the broken windows of our shopkeepers, and the damaged public property. They will be held accountable for all this, politically in parliament and legally by the judiciary."
Despite a ban imposed on street gatherings in many cities, the anti-government demonstrations continued for a sixth consecutive night on Monday.
Who is Ekrem Imamoglu?
One of Turkey's most popular politicians, Imamoglu comes across as relaxed, eloquent, contemporary: He has always known how to appeal to different social groups, wants to include everyone in politics and prefers a more inclusive style of politics, that does not discriminate or offend.
The 54-year-old's attitude has certainly contributed to his popularity in Turkey's increasingly polarized society in recent years. The mayor of Istanbul since 2019, Imamoglu is seen as one of current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's most serious rivals and his secular Republican People's Party, or CHP, was set to make him their candidate for upcoming presidential elections.
Despite his genial ways, on March 19, Imamoglu was arrested on corruption charges and suspicion of terrorism. The terrorism charges have since been dismissed, but a court has ruled he must remain in pre-trial detention.
The arrest has triggered the largest opposition protests in Turkey since the so-called Gezi protests in 2013. Despite a massive police presence, thousands of people have taken to the streets across the country demonstrating against what they see as a ploy to stop Imamoglu's bid for the presidency.
