Public Anger Grows Over Imamoglu’s Arrest in Turkey
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RDA Gulf Correspondent - . March 20, 2025
- . Update: March 20, 2025 8:15 pm
On Thursday, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a prominent opposition figure and challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was detained sparking mass protests across Turkey. Imamoglu was arrested on charges of graft and aiding a terrorist organization which opposition groups characterized as politically motivated and referred to as a “coup attempt.”
Even with a government ban on gatherings and limits on social media, protests broke out in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities. Alongside Turkish flags, protesters hung banners of Imamoglu and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and police used barricades and water cannons. “They rushed like toothpaste to arrest our mayor whom we voted for,” one of the demonstrators said, calling out the government’s actions.
The government’s operation against the opposition broadened to include social media with police arrests of 37 people for “provocative posts” and confiscation of a construction company affiliated with Imamoglu. His suspension comes days before he was expected to be announced as his party’s candidate for president which heightens the political tension. Many view the rising protests as evidence that public dissatisfaction with Erdogan is growing.
