Türkiye: After Imamoglu’s festival-clashes at Demos in Türkiye

In the event of protests after the Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu arrested, there were collisions between demonstrating and the police in various cities in Türkiye. In the big cities of Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara and Eskisehir, for example, the police partly used tear gas and water cannons against demonstrating how various news portals wrote.

Media and opposition politician said that plastic floors were used in Ankara against demonstrators. The government’s communication directorate described this as false information.

According to the media, people also took to the streets in Adana, Izmir and other Turkish cities. In the capital Ankara, parliamentary members merged into a protest march.

Imamoglus party “now on the street”

During a large demonstration in front of the city administration building in Istanbul, the chairman of the Imamoglus party, Özgür Özel, said no one should expect from the CHP to make politics in halls and buildings. “From now on we are on the street.” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote police officers injured in protests in Istanbul on platform X.

Imamoglu was arrested together with many other people on Wednesday, a few days before his planned nomination as a presidential candidate of the largest opposition party. This was justified by the public prosecutor with allegations of terrorism and corruption. Oppositional as well as observers accuse the government of wanting to switch off a political competitor with its approach to Imamoglu.

Meanwhile, Imamoglu is still custody on an Istanbul police department and was subjected to a health examination in the evening, media wrote.