'We cannot make a living': Protests against economic crisis continue in Turkey

Photos: Twitter

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Amid increasing exchange rates and ensuing economic hardships, several people protested by taking to the streets in several cities of Turkey, especially in İstanbul, yesterday (November 24). People chanted the slogans, "We cannot make a living" and "Government, resign".

The depreciation of the Turkish Lira against foreign exchanges hit a record-high on November 23, when the exchange rate of the US dollar saw 13.48 Turkish Lira and Euro 15.16 lira during the day.

Coupled with the continued price increases within this context, these economic dire straits led several people to take to the streets the other day (November 23) and to protest the economic crisis. The protests continued a day later, on November 24, in the provinces of İstanbul, Adana, Bursa, Antalya, Mersin, Diyarbakır, Hatay, Edirne, Eskişehir, Denizli and Samsun.

Detention in İstanbul

The Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) İstanbul Branch has announced that the police severely intervened against the protests in İstanbul's Kadıköy district yesterday and took 55 people into custody.

İSTANBUL | Kadıköy'de bir kadın eylemciye onlarca polisin saldırıp gözaltına altığı görüntüler!

Polis, Kadıköy'ün her sokağında işkenceyle gözaltı yapıyor#BATTIK #hükümetistifa #AKPistifa pic.twitter.com/BpViqhx2JI

— Özgür Gelecek (@ozgur__gelecek) November 24, 2021

While the İstanbul Security Directorate has not yet made a statement about the detention of protesters, the ÇHD İstanbul Branch has stated that an action was taken against the detained on charge of "violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations" and that they will be released after the related proceedings have been completed at the security directorate.

On the European side, people were planning to protest in front of the Avcılar Earthquake Statue; however, the press statement was held in the Avcılar Emekliler Park due to the prevention of the police.

In Şile, on the Anatolian side of İstanbul, the police intervened against the protesting citizens and took two protesters into custody.

March in Ankara, intervention in Mersin

In Turkey's Mediterranean province of Mersin, police intervened against the people who protested, saying, "We cannot make a living". The People's Houses have announced that the police attacked the ones who took to the streets in Çanakkale's Mümtaz Pirinççiler Square. According to initial reports, there were 13 people taken into custody in Çanakkale.

In the capital city of Ankara, the students of Bilkent University protested the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and the economic crisis, saying, "The youth is up and around, resisting the AKP."

The students of Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara also protested the economic crisis and corruption in Turkey: "We will not abandon our country to a handful of profiteers, plunderers, thieves."

In the Black Sea province of Samsun, a protest was staged against poverty, rising foreign exchange rates and price rises upon the call of the Samsun Labor and Democracy Forces. People chanted the slogan "government, resign" during the protest. (TP/SD)