Politics After Imamoglu's dismissal: another major protest in Turkey
Hundreds of thousands of people have once again taken to the streets in Turkey following the dismissal and imprisonment of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. In Istanbul, thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the city administration on Sarachane Square in the evening, despite a ban on demonstrations still in force in the metropolis of millions.
23.03.2025, 22:55
SDA
The leader of the opposition party CHP, to which Imamoglu also belongs, spoke of one million participants in the demonstration announced by the CHP in front of the city administration. There is no information from local authorities on the size of the demonstrations.
According to reports, the police used water cannons and tear gas against the demonstrators late in the evening. Thousands of people also reportedly continued their protests in Ankara, where demonstrations are also currently officially banned.
"I salute the millions who raised their voices tonight in Sarachane Square and in squares all over my country," said a message published on Imamoglu's X account. "They told Erdogan: "Enough is enough!"."
Possible further escalation of the protests?
The demonstrations in Turkey are now in their fifth consecutive day. They began on Wednesday following Imamoglu's arrest in connection with corruption and terrorism investigations. On Sunday, Imamoglu was remanded in custody and "temporarily" removed as mayor.
At the same time, the CHP chose him as its presidential candidate for a future election on Sunday. Observers had assumed that Imamoglu's imprisonment and dismissal could further fuel the demonstrations against the Turkish government's actions. Imamoglu denies all accusations and accuses the government of wanting to use the investigations to kill him off as a political rival.
