Turkey’s Opposition Calls for Nationwide Protests on Friday

Protestors hold Turkish flags during a demonstration following the detention of Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul, on March 20.Photographer: Kerem Uzel/Bloomberg

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By Beril Akman

March 21, 2025 at 10:24 AM UTC

Updated on

March 21, 2025 at 11:38 AM UTC

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Turkey’s main opposition party called for nationwide protests on Friday over the detention of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s most prominent rival.

“They’re asking me if I’m making a call to be on the streets? Yes, yes, yes,” Republican People’s Party, or CHP, chairman Ozgur Ozel told demonstrators in Istanbul on Thursday evening, who gathered for a second day in reaction to the detention of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.