Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) ended seven days of protests in Istanbul’s Saraçhane district on Tuesday, which were sparked by the detention and subsequent arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a prominent CHP figure and declared presidential candidate. In a defiant speech to a square filled with thousands of people, CHP leader Özgür Özel addressed the Governor of Istanbul directly, condemning police violence against young demonstrators and journalists.
“If you attack one of our youth tonight, if you fire tear gas or rubber bullets, then you are the real provocateur,” Özel declared. “If you try to provoke this crowd tonight, I will call for half a million people to come back.”
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Özel condemned the crackdown on demonstrators and journalists, saying that more than 1,400 people had been detained and around 200 formally arrested during the protests. Among those detained were journalists from AFP, NOW and municipal press teams, as well as independent reporters. “They even arrested Berkay Gezgin, the boy who [ran after İmamoğlu saying] ‘Everything will be OK, Brother Ekrem’,” Özel said.
He warned that Istanbul’s prisons had reached full capacity, forcing the authorities to return detainees to police headquarters and plan transfers to neighbouring provinces. “Imagine a government that has filled the prisons of one of the world’s most famous metropolises with students, journalists and pro-democracy demonstrators,” he said. “Shame on this regime.”
Looking ahead, Özel announced that a large rally would be held on Saturday, possibly in either Maltepe or Yenikapı. “This is both the eve of Ramadan and a holiday for democracy,” he told the crowd. “We will stand shoulder to shoulder against the usurpers.”
He also accused President Erdoğan of orchestrating politically motivated trials against İmamoğlu. “If you have the courage,” Özel demanded, “broadcast these rigged trials against Ekrem İmamoğlu live on TRT.”
The protests erupted on 19 March following the detention of İmamoğlu, who secured the CHP’s presidential candidacy from behind bars days later with 14.8 million votes. Demonstrators have been gathering daily in Saraçhane, with many staying overnight in solidarity. Özel, a key figure in the protests from the start, announced that while the movement would shift strategies, the resistance would persist.
