Thousands Flood Turkiye’s Streets Protesting Arrest Of Istanbul Mayor – The Cradle

March 21, 2025 TheMcgwire

Thousands Flood Turkiye’s Streets Protesting Arrest Of Istanbul Mayor

The Turkish government has identified hundreds of social media accounts and has detained dozens of people for ‘provocative posts’ about the mayor’s arrest

Thousands demonstrated in Turkiye on 20 March in protest against the government’s detention of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu – a prominent opposition figure – one day earlier.

Citizens and students protested on the streets and university campuses in several cities, including Istanbul and the capital, Ankara.

The protests come despite the government imposing a four-day ban on gatherings and demonstrations.

“They hastily detained our mayor, whom we elected with our votes. I do not think this is a democratic practice, and I condemn it,” one citizen told Reuters.

“The people will give their response again. As you saw yesterday, everyone is on the streets. Everyone is in the squares. The squares and the ballot box will be the result of this. I say, the righteous one will win,” another protester said.

SOURCE The Cradle