Protests began throughout Turkey on 19 March 2025 following the detention and arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and more than 100 other opposition members and protesters by Turkish authorities. The gatherings represented significant public opposition to what participants characterized as politically motivated legal actions against İmamoğlu, who was the primary opposition candidate for the 2028 Turkish presidential election and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's main political rival.
The demonstrations have been supported by the CHP and many other political parties, organizations, and associations. Hundreds of thousands of people are protesting in almost all of Turkey's cities (especially in Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir), with the biggest crowd being in front of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's headquarters. University students are playing a major role in these protests.
The protesters represent a broad ideological spectrum, including both right and left-wing individuals. In this context, symbols of the Republic—particularly Atatürk—are frequently used as a unifying framework and symbolic point of reference throughout...
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