Turkey: Anti-Erdogan protests continue over Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s arrest, watch video

Protests in Turkey continued for second night on Thursday over the arrest of opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of Istanbul.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled the country since 2003 and has in recent years cracked on political opponents, critics, and journalists, jailing several of them over charges that are deemed to be false and politically motivated. Imamoglu, the main opponent of Erdogan, was arrested just days before he was scheduled to announce his candidacy for the 2028 presidential election.

Several thousands of people have poured into the streets across Turkey, including in Istanbul and capital Ankara, to protest against Imamoglu’s arrest. Erdogan’s security services cracked down on them with rubber bullets, water cannon, and tear gas. Protests have been held in Istanbul, Turkey, Izmir, and Adana.

Imamoglu was arrested in a dawn raid on Wednesday and has been charged with “bribery, extortion, corruption, aggravated fraud, and illegally obtaining personal data for profit as part of a criminal organisation” and alleged cooperation with Kurdish group PKK that Turkey considers a terrorist organisation, according to Al Jazeera. Critics have said these charges are politically motivated.

Besides Imamoglu, dozens of others were also arrested, including journalists, businesspersons, and staff of the Istanbul municipality.

Turkey’s opposition leader Ozgür Ozel called on people last night to take to the streets in protest against Imamoğlu’s detention.

This is the first time in 12 years that the opposition has made such a call to protest the government.pic.twitter.com/XsaSnX50av

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) March 21, 2025

Visuals from Turkey show public squares full of people agitating against Erdogan. They are seen waving flags and shouting slogans. While Erdogan is cracking down on dissenters, Istanbul’s local government, run by CHP, has also started mobilising people in support of Imamoglu. The BBC has reported that trains in the city were blaring the message: “I promise you with my honour that I am going to win this fight.”

University students marched with the slogan: “We are not scared, we won’t be silenced, we will not obey.”

In a video shared on X, a blind protester is seen being assaulted by the police. The photograph shows injuries to his face.

#NoComment A blind protestor was kicked and had his white cane broken by police during anti-government demonstrations in Turkey, leaving him disoriented as he struggled to find his way. The protests erupted after the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key rival to… pic.twitter.com/o6nz5ecLbP

— Stockholm Center for Freedom (@StockholmCF) March 19, 2025

Even though Erdogan has ruled for more than two decades as a strongman and has cracked down to dissent, there have been signs of a potent political movement against him in recent years. Last year, Imamoglu’s party CHP stunned the world by winning all of the largest Turkish cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, in municipal elections. The CHP victory in Istanbul, first in 2019 and then in 2024, was a personal blow to Erdogan as his party had ruled the city for nearly a quarter of a century and he had served as the mayor of the city before entering national politics.