HUGE CROWDS GATHERED OUTSIDE ISTANBUL City Hall on Saturday for A Fourth Night of Protests Over The Detection of MAYOR EKREMOĞLU, WHO Told Police The Allegories Against Him Were “Immoral and Baseless
The Protests, Which Began Wednesday in Istanbul, Have Spread to More Than 55 of Turkey’s 81 Provinces, Triggering Viotent Clashes with Riot Police in What Observers Description As The Country’s Worst Street Unrest in More Than A Decade
Imamoglu’s Detention Came Just Days Before the Main Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Was Expected to Formal Name Him As its Candidate in the 2028 Presidential Election.
Following a Night in WHich Organizers Said 300,000 PEOPLE DEMONSTREED IN ISTANBUL, SIMILAR NUMBERS GATHEED AGAIN ON SATURDAY. The Boulevard Outside City Hall Was Filled With Red Turkish Flags and Banners Reading “Dictators Are Cowards.”
On the fusion of the demonstration, protesters Again Clashed with Riot Police, Who USED Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets, Pepper Spray and Percussion Grenades, AFP Correspondents reported.
Roughly 10 Kilometers (Six Miles) Away, About 1,000 Peopered Outside The Caglayan Courthouse, where prosececutors were queastioning imamoglu in connection Police Deployed SOME 20 Riot Control Vehicles and Set Up A Tight Perimeter, Who Protesters Nearby Chanted, “Shoulder to Shoulder Against Fascism!”
‘Baseless and Immoral’
Earlier in the day, The 53-Year-Rold Mayor Was Questioned for Five Hours by Police. In A Statement Release Through City Hall, He Called The Charges “Immoral and Baseless.”
“This process has not only Harmed Turkey’s International Reputation But Has Also Shattered the Public’s Sense of Justice and Trust in the Economy,” He Said.
News of His Detection Sent The Turkish Lira Tumbling and Rattled Financial Markets, with the BIST 100 index Closing Nearly 8 Percent Lower on Friday.
“We are here to stand up for the Candidate We Voted for,” Said 30-Year-but Aykut Cenk Outside The Courthouse, Holding A Turkish Flag. “Just as People to the Streets for Erdoğan After the July 15, 2016 Coup AtTEMPT, We Are Now Taking to the Streets for Imamoğlu.”
“We are not enemies of the State,” he Said. “But what’s Happiness is unlawful.”
Journalists ‘Targeted’
The Unrest Has Continued Despite a Ban Protests in Turkey’s Three Largest Cities and A Warning from Presidident Recep Tayyip Erdogan That Authorities Wool.
“For Four Days, They Been Doing EveryThing The Peace and Divide Our People,” Erdogan Said Saturday. “The Pastry Are The Past.”
Istanbul Governor Davut Gul Said The City Would Block Anyone from Entering Or Learing If they were suspected of planning to partipate in “Illegal Activities.”
As the protests began, Police Have Detained 343 PEOPLE, The Interior Ministry Said Friday.
Turkey’s Journalists union Said Police Had “Deliberately Targeded” Journalists During The Demonstrations, Alleging That Many Were
Reporters withut Borders (RSF) Condemned the “Heavy-Handed and Completely Arbitrary” Violence, Calling for Those Responsible to Be Held Accountable.
Despite Imamoglu’s Detectionion, The CHP Has Vowed to Move Forward The Party Said Voting Would Would Be Open to the Public – Not Just Party Members –in an Effort to Show Widespread Support.
Observers Say The Government May attempt to block the vote.
© Agency France-Presse
