Mayor Ekrem Imamoguru’s stabbing arrest will launch protests in several cities that are likely to continue over the weekend.
Turkish protesters took Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoguru to the streets twice in a row after he was arrested as part of another corruption and terrorism investigation.
The demonstration took place on Thursday at Istanbul City Hall. There, a small group of protesters brawled with police as they approached Taksim Square, a mass demonstration of 2013.
In Ankara, the Turkish capital, police used water cannons to disperse crowds at the Middle East Institute of Technology. Smaller protests have also been reported in Izmir city on the Turkish coast and Adana in southern Torkiye.
The mayor was arrested on Wednesday in the Pondon attack just days before he announced he would take office as an opposition candidate in 2028. Dozens of prominent figures were also detained, including journalists, businessmen and staff from the Istanbul city government.
Imamogul is a member of the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP) and is considered one of the top rivals of Turkish President Receptacle Tayyip Erdogan.
He faces multiple accusations, including “briding, tor, corruption, aggravation, worsening of fraud, illegally obtaining personal data for profit as part of a criminal organization,” and another allegedly co-operating with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in local elections.
The PKK is designated as a “terrorist organization” for Turkiye and is behind a long-term rebellion aimed at creating an independent Kurdistan.
Earlier this week, Turkish universities invalidated Imamogul’s “irregularity” diploma. The fee will be added to the list of legal investigations of the mayor, some dating back to 2022.
The protests sparked by Imamoguru’s detention appear to be set to last until the weekend despite the four-day ban imposed by the government.
On Thursday evening, CHP leader Ozgar Ozel attended a rally outside Istanbul’s city hall, and CHP leader Ozal Ozel called on supporters to continue the demonstration.
“Yes, I’m calling people on the streets,” he said, urging them not to resort to violence.
According to Home Minister Ali Yarikaya, some have shared 18.6 million posts within 24 hours of Imamoguru’s detention and have gone to social media to air their complaints. Among them, 261 social media accounts are deemed to be “incited” public hatred and crime, leading police to detain allegedly users of the 37 accounts, he said.
The Turkish market trade has also suffered a surprising arrest. To prevent panic sales, trades temporarily halted on Wednesday, but lira fell to a record low.
Despite the confusion, President Erdogan and his ruling justice and development party continue to defend Imamogul’s detention.
Party spokesman Omer Celik urged opponents to respect the legal process.
“What politicians should do is follow the judicial process,” Celick told the media. “There is no information regarding the content of the (crime) file.”
