Turkish police pepper spray protesters in Istanbul
Protesters in Istanbul were pepper-sprayed by police officers as they gathered in solidarity with Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu near the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality building on March 23, 2025. This scene unfolded in Istanbul, Turkey. (Credit: Reuters)
Following the recent arrest of Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key opponent of President Erdoğan, Turkey has witnessed its most extensive wave of protests in a decade. More than 1,100 individuals have been arrested during demonstrations held nationwide.
Istanbul’s mayor and 106 other local government officials and politicians were taken into custody on March 19 in what Human Rights Watch described as a maneuver driven by political motivations aiming to suppress legitimate political engagement.
“By forcing Imamoglu out of politics, the government has crossed the line that separates Turkey’s competitive authoritarian regime from a full, Russian-style autocracy in which the president handpicks his opponents and elections are purely for show,” Gonul Tol, Director of Turkish Program at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital.
In an address to celebrate the festival of Nowruz on Friday, Erdoğan said Turkey was not a country that was found on the street and will not submit to street terrorism.
“We will not allow public order to be damaged. We will not give in to vandalism or street terrorism,” Erdoğan said, according to Reuters.
The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) held a symbolic primary vote over the weekend and nominated İmamoğlu to be the party’s candidate for president to face Erdoğan in the 2028 elections.
Despite the increased repression and threats to their own safety and security, the Turkish opposition does not yet seem to be backing down.
“We, as the main opposition party that emerged as the first party in the last local elections in March 2024, will stand firm and resist any kind of oppression by the government,” İlhan Uzgel, CHP Deputy Chairman for Foreign Policy, told Fox News Digital.
Uzgel said Erdoğan seems frightened of losing power, and is urging opposition supporters to take to the streets to defend democracy, challenge lawlessness, and challenge the Erdoğan government’s abuse of power.
“We are happy to see that our people take to the streets despite the occasional use of force by the riot police, and demonstrate peacefully, which is a constitutional right,” he added.
Imamoglu, who is presently jailed and is awaiting trial on corruption charges, was viewed as the most serious challenger to the decades-long rule of Erdoğan. His detention will likely keep him out of the political opposition for the foreseeable future, dealing a huge blow to Turkey’s pro-democracy movement.
Tol of the Middle East Institute said Erdoğan is banking on people’s anger dissipating over time and that the mass protests will eventually die down. The election is not scheduled until 2028, and people, Erdoğan hopes, will most likely forget and move on.
People gather outside the City Hall to protest the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Francisco Seco/AP Photo)
The danger, according to Tol, is that street protests in the Middle East and elsewhere tend to go in many different directions, and there is no telling how long the public anger over the arrests will last and how much more popular support the movement will gain.
İmamoğlu, member of the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP), was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019 and re-elected in 2023. In both elections, he defeated Erdoğan-backed opponents.
Turkey’s problems come at a time when President Trump is reportedly considering lifting sanctions on the NATO member and resuming the sale of F-35 fighter jets following a recent phone call with Erdoğan.
Reuters contributed to this article.
