Tens of thousands of protesters have taken part in demonstrations across Turkey after Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and the main rival to the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was formally arrested and charged with corruption.
In response to his arrest, Sunday night saw a ramping up of the worst unrest the country has seen in more than a decade – with protesters fired upon with tear gas and rubber bullets.
VIDEO: Police use pepper spray as crowds gather to protest Istanbul mayor arrest.
Police used pepper spray against a large crowd gathered near Istanbul city hall, as the Turkish city saw its fifth night of protests against the arrest of its mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. President… pic.twitter.com/JsBW19Bv8u
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 24, 2025
Imamoglu said the allegations against him are politically motivated. “I will never bow,” he wrote on X before he was remanded in custody.
Crowds amassed near Istanbul’s city hall by early evening on Sunday for a fifth night and could be seen waving Turkish flags and chanting in front of a row of riot police. Officers were seen firing water cannons at some protesters and using pepper spray.
Imamoglu’s wife Dilek Kaya Imamoglu addressed the large crowds outside the city hall, telling demonstrators that the “injustice” her husband has faced has “struck a chord with every conscience”.
Imamoglu protests in Turkey largest since Gezi
The demonstrations in response to Imamoglu’s arrest are the largest the country has seen since the Gezi protests of 2013, which began in Istanbul over the demolition of a local park, BBC reports.
In total, rallies took place in at least 55 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, or more than two-thirds of the country, according to a tally by French news agency AFP.
A Turkish court on Sunday jailed Imamoglu pending trial on corruption charges. The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been calling for protests against the court decision on Imamoglu, which they label as politicized and undemocratic.
A day before his arrest, Istanbul University announced it was revoking Imamoglu’s degree due to alleged irregularities, a measure – which if upheld – would put his ability to run as president into doubt.
According to the Turkish constitution, presidents must have completed higher education to hold office.
Imamoglu, 54, who leads Erdogan in some opinion polls, was due to be named the CHP’s official presidential candidate within days.
The next election is set for 2028, but Erdogan has reached his two-term limit as president after having earlier served as prime minister. If he wishes to run again he must call an early election or change the constitution.
The government denies that the investigations are politically motivated and says the courts are independent.
Imamoglu has denied the charges he faces as “unimaginable accusations and slanders” and called for nationwide protests.
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