Hundreds Of Thousands Join Istanbul Protest Rally

We are talking about a regime that bans or obstructs its shining stars. The practice of eliminating successful political actors is likely to continue,

Korkmaz suggested

There are so many people who want to live in a real democracy,

said Koyuncu

What we are seeing today is the justified anger of the young generation, whose future has been ripped away from them as a result of prolonged authoritarianism and persistent poverty,

explains Turkish political scientist Begum Uzun, who teaches at MEF University in Istanbul and is also a co-coordinator at the Istanbul Youth Research Center

What the regime is doing against Ekrem Imamoglu goes beyond anything we have seen before,

said Berk Esen, a political scientist at Sabanci University, who has conducted research into authoritarian trends in Turkey

He and his followers want him to stay in power and he is shaping his regime accordingly,

Esen said, noting

Such regimes either reform themselves or they increase the pressure,

Korkmaz said

Erdogan understood that he could not defeat Imamoglu,

said Esen, explaining

We are only at the beginning. It will get worse,

he told DW

Realising he cannot defeat me at the ballot box, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has resorted to other means: having his main political opponent arrested on charges of corruption, bribery, leading a criminal network and aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ party, even though the charges lack credible evidence,

İmamoğlu wrote

Turkey is facing one of its gravest sociopolitical upheavals in decades,

it added

My detention marked a new phase in Turkey’s slide into authoritarianism and the use of arbitrary power. A country with a long democratic tradition now faces the serious risk of passing the point of no return.”

He added

Washington merely expressed “concerns regarding recent arrests and protests” in Turkey. With few exceptions, European leaders have failed to offer a strong response,

he said

We believe the arrests will slow down from now,

he said

This isn’t just a rally—it’s history in the making,

he said, claiming real-time attendance hit 2.2 million

Anyone who takes a step back isn’t one of us.”

Acting Istanbul Mayor Nuri Aslan took the stage, delivering a firm message

This is about our nation—about justice, democracy, and freedom. Together with all of Türkiye’s opposition parties, we’re entering a historic moment,

the letter stated

They may try to stop me, but I trust in you,

the AI-generated message declared

The judicial pressure systematically brought to bear on local journalists for a long time is now being brought to bear on their foreign colleagues,

he told AFP

We fear that the crackdown on the press will not only continue but also increase."

He added

I joined the rallies outside City Hall for four days together with university students. I told them not to give in,

protester Cafer Sungur, 78, told AFP