Thousands of anti-government protesters continue demostrations in Istanbul over mayor’s arrest

Tens of thousands of Turkish opposition protesters staged a rally outside Istanbul City Hall on Monday evening in support of the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The demonstrators outside the city hall held flags and placards and chanted slogans while clashes between protesters and the police occurred.

Police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, while several protesters were seen being detained by officers.

Monday evening’s mass protests were sparked after a court on Sunday formally arrested Imamoglu and ordered him jailed pending a trial on corruption charges.

His jailing followed an earlier detention last week, which sparked the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade, deepening concerns over democracy and the rule of law.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the Istanbul mayor was jailed for operating a criminal organisation, collecting bribes, indulging in extortion, unlawfully recording personal information, and bid-rigging. He is still being prosecuted, but a request to put him in jail on terror-related charges was denied.

Erdogan calls for ‘stop to provocations.’

Meanwhile, in a televised address on Monday following a Cabinet meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the opposition party CHP chairman, Ozgur Ozel, who has called for peaceful protests, of disturbing public order.

“I have made this call several times before, and today I am repeating it: Stop disturbing our citizens’ peace with provocations,” Erdogan said.

He also suggested Ozel would be held to account for the protests.

“Of course, there will be political accountability for these actions in parliament and meşru accountability in court.”

Ozel is the head of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, to which Imamoglu belongs.

Imamoglu’s imprisonment is widely regarded as a political move to remove a major contender from the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028.

Government officials reject the accusations and insist that Turkey’s courts operate independently.

“If you weren’t here today, if you hadn’t rushed here since the first day, if you had yielded to tear gas and barricades, if you had gotten scared and remained at home, then today a caretaker appointed by Tayyip Erdogan would be residing here in this building,” said Ozgur Ozel Sunday night, pointing at city hall as he spoke to the massive crowd chanting anti-government slogans.

As mayor of the economic and cultural capital of Turkey with a population of 16 million, Imamoglu is probably Turkey’s second-highest-profile politician after Erdogan