President Tayyip Erdogan warned yesterday that Turkey would not tolerate violence on the streets or disruption of public order after the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu sparked some of the largest expressions of civil disobedience in more than a decade.
"We will not accept disruption of public order. Just as we have never given in to street terrorism, we will not surrender to vandalism," Erdogan (71) said, addressing the crowd in Ankara.
The warning came after thousands of people protested for two days in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities, including on university campuses, leading to clashes with police. Police used water cannons to disperse some groups and closed off some streets.
New protests are planned, and tensions could rise further over the weekend, when a court is expected to rule on the formal arrest of Imamoglu, Erdogan's main political rival, who, according to some polls, has greater public support than him, Reuters reported.
Imamoglu, 54, was detained on Wednesday and faces charges including corruption and aiding a terrorist organization. His Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition party, condemned the decision as politically motivated and called on supporters to protest legally.
European leaders called the arrest a sign of the decline of democracy in Turkey.
Erdogan said that taking to the streets would lead nowhere. "Pointing to the streets instead of the courts in defense of theft, robbery, illegality and fraud is extremely irresponsible," he said.
Authorities imposed a four-day ban on gatherings following the detentions and said 53 people were detained during Thursday's protests.
Turkey has restricted the expression of civil disobedience since the 2013 mass protests in Gezi Park, which were directed against the government and violently suppressed by authorities - considered one of the key moments of the shift towards autocracy during Erdogan's 22-year rule.
Human rights organizations report that the state response to the 2013 protests left 11 people dead, more than 8.000 injured, and over 3.000 arrested.
Erdogan's government claimed that the repression was justified due to threats to the state, and Erdogan himself called the protest participants "looters", who, he claims, were partly financed by foreign powers - a claim the defendants and civil society organizations vehemently deny.
An Istanbul court yesterday ordered prominent Turkish journalist Ismail Sajmaz to be placed under house arrest as part of an investigation related to the Gezi Park protests. Sajmaz, who works for Halk TV, was initially detained on Wednesday on charges of aiding and abetting an attempt to overthrow the government during the 2013 protests, which he denies.
The detention of Imamoglu, the second-term mayor of Turkey's largest city, marks the culmination of a months-long judicial campaign against opposition figures, which critics say is designed to weaken their electoral chances.
The government rejects the accusations and claims that the judiciary is independent.
CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said Erdogan was afraid of street protests, called the ban on demonstrations illegal and called on citizens to peacefully protest in defense of their right to vote. "Tear down those barricades without harming the police, take to the streets and squares," he said.
On Sunday, the CHP is set to officially announce Imamoglu as its presidential candidate for the upcoming elections, and the party has also called on citizens outside its membership to vote in order to strengthen public resistance.
The next elections are scheduled for 2028, but if Erdogan is eligible to run again, parliament must call them earlier.
In an effort to avoid further legal hurdles, Ozel announced that the CHP would convene an extraordinary congress on April 6 to prevent the authorities from appointing an external commissioner for the party. The Ankara prosecutor's office had previously launched an investigation into alleged irregularities related to the party's last congress in 2023.
Turkish financial markets reacted strongly to Imamoglu's detention, as investors expressed concerns about the erosion of the rule of law. The lira and government bonds sank, while shares on the Istanbul Stock Exchange fell 8% yesterday.
The central bank unexpectedly raised its benchmark interest rate overnight and used about $10 billion in foreign exchange reserves on Wednesday to stabilize the currency, which fell 12% that day to a historic low. Inflation was 39% last month.
In an interview with Reuters, Ozel said the CHP would resist any attempt to remove him and other party officials from the municipal offices they have occupied since Imamoglu's detention, which have become a center of protests.
Due to accusations that include aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey and its Western allies consider a terrorist organization, the government could appoint its own commissioner to the mayor's post.
Imamoglu's detention was preceded by the annulment of his university degree, which, if the decision is upheld, would prevent him from running for president, as the constitution requires candidates to have completed four years of studies.
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