In Izmir Turkish police use water cannon during protests
In the western Turkish metropolis of Izmir, police use water cannons against demonstrators protesting against the removal of the leadership of the largest opposition party, the CHP. The protests were called for by the deposed party leader Özgür Özel.
26.05.2026, 14:35
26.05.2026, 14:37
SDA
The police had already cordoned off Cumhuriyet Meydani (Republic Square) before the protests began. Demonstrators fled into the side streets, as reported by a dpa reporter on site.
It is estimated that there were more than a thousand protesters around the square, chanting slogans such as "Shoulder to shoulder against fascism" and "Fighting we will win".
Demonstrators described Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who was appointed interim party leader, as a "traitor". By shouting "Tayyip Kemal", they linked him to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A speech by the deposed party leader Özel was expected.
Opposition party leader deposed
Last week, a court declared the 2023 CHP party congress invalid and removed Özel as party leader. There are allegations that delegates were bribed to vote for Özel.
The CHP leadership rejects the accusations and appealed to the Supreme Court. The court provisionally appointed Özel's controversial predecessor Kilicdaroglu as CHP leader. This sparked protests in the capital Ankara and Istanbul.
Demonstrator: "I would support a new party"
According to the demonstrators themselves, they came to the protest for different reasons. For example, 50-year-old Yasmin explained that she was there to defend the Turkish Republic.
If the deposed party leader Özel were to found a new party, she would "definitely support it". A 26-year-old demonstrator expressed similar sentiments.
Before his dismissal from the party chairmanship last week, Özel had told the newspaper "Pencere" in an interview that he would not give up the CHP under any circumstances. A replacement party would only be founded if the CHP was dissolved by the government.
Another demonstrator in her mid-thirties criticized in particular the police action against the CHP headquarters in Ankara last week. The police had forced their way into the building.
Pictures showed clashes with CHP supporters who had entrenched themselves in the building. An elderly man on the sidelines of the demonstration, referring to the new party leadership, said he wished the "traitors" would be stung by bees.
