Clashes erupt as university students protest against arrest of Istanbul mayor

(21 Mar 2025)
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Istanbul, Turkey - 21 March 2025
++NIGHT SHOTS++
1. Demonstrators dancing
2. Close of demonstrators with face coverings
3. Demonstrators banging bin
4. Demonstrators in crowd chanting
5. Police moving back as demonstrators throw objects
6. Police standing in line with riot shields
7. Various of demonstrators in crowd chanting and booing




STORYLINE:
University students demonstrated against the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor and top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a third straight day on Friday, even as the Turkish leader issued a stern warning, declaring that street protests would not be tolerated.

Since Imamoglu’s arrest, thousands have gathered at Istanbul’s city hall for nighttime rallies.

Clashes have erupted between demonstrators and police in Istanbul, the Turkish capital of Ankara and Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city.

The most violent clash was at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University late Thursday, when police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstration. Students said rubber bullets were used, but the government denied that.

Authorities on Friday announced more road closures in Istanbul and shuttered metro stops near the university in Ankara.

Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested in a dawn raid on his residence on Wednesday over alleged corruption and terror links, escalating a crackdown on opposition figures and dissenting voices.

Many view the arrest as a politically driven attempt to remove a popular opposition figure and key challenger to Erdogan in the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028.

Government officials reject accusations that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated and insist that Turkey’s courts operate independently.

The leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, Ozgur Ozel, renewed a call on supporters to take to the streets for peaceful demonstrations, while authorities widened a ban on protests and criticized the appeal as irresponsible.

Erdogan, increasingly authoritarian after more than two-decades in office, said the government would not tolerate street protests and accused the opposition party of links to corruption and terror organizations.

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