The opposition in Turkey is taking to the streets. Thousands of people took to the streets in Istanbul to protest the arrest of the city's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. The politician is a key political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Imamoglu, who leads Erdogan in some polls, was jailed on corruption charges on Sunday, sparking the biggest anti-government protests in more than a decade that have led to mass arrests across the country. The country's president has shown no signs of listening to the demonstrators, but has vowed to crack down on any attempts, as he called them, to disrupt public order.
"For a week, they have done everything to cover up corruption, to hide theft, to hide robbery and to protect fraud. Under the pretext of seeking justice, they attempted a very dangerous provocation that had nothing to do with democracy, law or legitimate means of seeking justice. However, thanks to the cold and determined stance of our police, the reasonable stance of our nation and the calm stance of our young people who maintained their dignity even though they were subjected to provocation, they could not achieve the policy of bullying. Of course, we will not turn a blind eye to the disruption of public order during this process. Our security units will take necessary action against anyone who covers their face, attacks the police or harasses our people while they are doing their duty," Erdogan said.
The Republican People's Party, as well as other opposition forces, human rights groups and Western powers, have all stressed that the case against Imamoglu is a politicized attempt to eliminate a potential electoral threat to Erdogan. The government denies any influence over the judiciary and says the courts are independent. (A2 Televizion)
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