İmamoğlu’s detention: CHP leader vows to 'bring politics to streets' as demonstrations grow

At a rally held yesterday, CHP Chair Özgür Özel and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş addressed the crowd.

“From now on, no one should expect the CHP to carry out politics inside buildings or halls. We are taking to the streets and public squares,” Özel declared.

He emphasized that the protests would remain peaceful, saying, “We will continue our demonstrations without burning, destroying, or breaking anything. They ask if I’m calling people to the streets. Yes, yes, yes! While you detain those we elected, we will not stay at home.”

Yavaş remarked during the rally, “We have never left this country unattended, and we never will. I salute our citizens who are standing up for the country’s future and their democratic will. Justice and democracy will prevail. We will achieve this together.”

He continued, “We are gathered here as the people of Turkey. We are here to defend our Constitution and to assert that nothing is above the national will.”

Police use tear gas

While the demonstrations were largely peaceful, tensions flared before the rally when groups attempting to march from Saraçhane to Taksim Square were met by police using tear gas and rubber bullets. Several people were injured, and clashes continued into the evening. When Özel took the stage, he called on police to stop using tear gas. The confrontations subsided following talks between CHP officials and law enforcement.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya aid on social media that six police officers were injured during the confrontation in Saraçhane while not providing information on injured protesters. He indirectly criticized Özel, saying, “Calling people to the streets is irresponsible.” 

Yerlikaya also announced that 16 police officers had been injured and 53 detained nationwide.

Youth also protest CHP leader

Meanwhile, social media footage showed some young demonstrators at Saraçhane expressing frustration toward Özel. As his speech ran long, they could be heard shouting, “We came to protest, not to attend a rally.” Even after the rally ended, groups of youth remained in front of the municipality building, lighting fires and chanting, “Özgür, come and get a taste of tear gas.”

Protests in other cities

In Ankara, university students from Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) joined campus protests. Later in the evening, students from Hacettepe and Bilkent universities also participated.

In İzmir, demonstrations by large crowds continued late into the night. Police responded to protesters with water cannons.

On Mar 20, further demonstrations were held in Antalya, Eskişehir, Çanakkale, Kocaeli, Adana, Mersin, Trabzon, Amasya, Çorum, Sakarya, and Bartın.

Meanwhile, a five-day ban on demonstrations that was declared in İstanbul on the day of İmamoğlu’s detention has now been extended to Ankara and İzmir. Authorities justified the new bans by citing intelligence suggesting that “provocative posts on social media and other platforms” could lead to unlawful demonstrations and acts of violence. They claimed the measures were taken to maintain public order. (VK)