Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned authorities would crack down on “street terror” as thousands of protesters joined a march in Istanbul to show support for the city’s arrested mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.
Imamoglu was arrested on Wednesday over alleged corruption and “terror” links, sparking widespread protests across Istanbul. The opposition CHP party, which was set to nominate him as its presidential candidate, has described his arrest as a “coup”. More than 300,000 people have joined the demonstrations, according to opposition leader Ozgur Ozel.
The arrests came after a university in Istanbul invalidated Imamoglu’s diploma, disqualifying him from running for president. The government announced a four-day ban on political demonstrations, but protesters are defying the warning and continuing their rallies.
Erdogan has accused Imamoglu’s party of links to corruption and “terror” organizations, while critics see his arrest as an attempt to remove a key challenger to Erdogan from the next national ballot. At least 88 protesters have been arrested so far, with many more detained for online posts deemed “incitement to hatred”.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/21/thousands-join-march-in-turkiyes-istanbul-to-protest-mayors-arrest