Turkish police pepper spray protesters in Istanbul
Police officers saw pepper spray protesters on March 23, 2025, as people gathered in support of Istanbul Mayor Eklem Imamoguru, near the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipal building in Istanbul, Turkey. (Credit: Reuters)
The recent arrests of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoluru and major rivals of President Erdogan have sparked the biggest protests in Turkey in a decade, with more than 1,100 people being detained at demonstrations around the country.
The mayor of Istanbul and 106 other municipal officials and politicians were detained on March 19 for what Human Rights Watch called political motivations to curb legal political activity.
“By expelling Imamoguru from politics, the government has crossed the line that separates Turkey's competitive authoritarian regime from a completely Russian-style dictatorship where the president is purely on display with his enemies and elections.
Turkish authorities arrest Erdogan's major rival. Critics say it's “not a coincidence.”
Police officers used pepper spray on protesters on March 23, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey, during the protests on the day Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamogur was imprisoned as part of a corruption investigation. (Alexandros avramidis/reuters)
A spokesman for the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC, told Fox News Digital that Turkish Home Minister Ali Yerlikaya has told Fox News Digital that 1,133 people have been detained since the mayor's arrest, and that around 123 police officers have been injured since the protest began. Yerlikaya also alleged that the weapons were seized during the protests and that the individuals detained were found to have links between various terrorist groups and previous criminal history.
Some experts believe the move was coordinated by Erdogan to stand by the opposition, silence political opposition, and enhance their own strength.
“This is a dark time for Turkey's democracy, and we will cancel the democratic process by making blatantly and lawless moves to weaponize the judicial system,” Hugh Williamson, director of Europe and Central Asia, said in a statement.
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Some experts believe the move was coordinated by Erdogan to stand by the opposition, silence political opposition, and enhance their own strength. (Türkiye President/Reuters)
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In a speech celebrating the Knowles festival on Friday, Erdogan said Turkey is not a country found on the streets and does not submit to street terrorism.
“We do not allow public order to be damaged, we do not succumb to vandalism or street terrorism,” Erdogan said, according to Reuters.
The People's Party of Opposition (CHP) held a symbolic major vote over the weekend, nominating Imamall as the presidential candidate facing Erdogan in the 2028 election.
Despite the increased suppression and the threat to their own safety and security, Turkey's opposition appears to have yet to be retreated.
“We will withstand and resist all sorts of oppression by the government as the main opposition party that appeared as the first party in the last local elections in March 2024,” Ilhan Uzgel, Vice President of Foreign Policy, told Fox News Digital.
Uzgel said Erdogan appears to be afraid of losing power, urging his opposition supporters to defend democracy, challenge lawlessness and take him to the city to challenge the abuse of power in the Erdogan government.
“In spite of the occasional use of force by the riot police, we are willing to see our people take us into the streets and we will peacefully demonstrate our constitutional rights,” he added.
Imamogul, who is currently in jail and awaiting trial on corruption charges, was considered the most serious challenger of Erdogan's decades of rule. His detention is likely to distract him from political opposition in the near future, and will hit the Turkish democratic movement hard.
Tol of the Middle East Institute said Erdogan has dissipated over time and is banking the bank to people's rage when massive protests eventually die. The election is not scheduled until 2028, and those Erdogan hopes will likely forget about it and move on.
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On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, people gather outside city hall to protest the arrest of Mayor Iklem Imamogul in Istanbul, Turkey. (Francis Co Seco/AP Photo)
According to TOL, danger tends to lead street protests in the Middle East and elsewhere in many different directions, and it's not clear how long public outrage over arrests will last, and how popular the movement will be.
Imamor, a 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 the opposition in Erdogan support.
The Turkish issue is reportedly that President Trump is considering lifting sanctions on NATO members and resuming sales of F-35 fighter jets following a recent call with Erdogan.
Reuters contributed to this article.
