{"id":269490,"date":"2025-03-29T09:07:04","date_gmt":"2025-03-29T09:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/29\/turkeys-opposition-is-energized-the-fire-is-already-lit\/"},"modified":"2025-03-29T09:07:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-29T09:07:04","slug":"turkeys-opposition-is-energized-the-fire-is-already-lit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/29\/turkeys-opposition-is-energized-the-fire-is-already-lit\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey\u2019s Opposition Is Energized: \u2018The Fire Is Already Lit\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/28\/multimedia\/29int-turkey-assess\/28int-INTERPRETER-TURKEY-web-tbgw-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Turkey\u2019s Opposition Is Energized: \u2018The Fire Is Already Lit\u2019\" title=\"Turkey\u2019s Opposition Is Energized: \u2018The Fire Is Already Lit\u2019\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Turkey\u2019s largest opposition party is organizing rallies, urging boycotts of pro-government businesses and standing by its presidential candidate \u2014 even if he will have to campaign from jail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At universities, students have formed councils to direct protests and spread the word, sharing tips for dealing with the riot police and tear gas. Their efforts \u2014 part of the largest wave of political protest in Turkey in more than a decade \u2014 were catalyzed by the government\u2019s March 19 <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/19\/world\/middleeast\/turkey-istanbul-mayor-arrest.html\" title=\"\">arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu<\/a>, the mayor of Istanbul and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan\u2019s top political rival.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">They have been met with equally vast measures by Mr. Erdogan\u2019s government to quash them. But instead of cowing opposition supporters, the crackdown seems to be energizing them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cEverybody in the forums and meetings says this is not only about Imamoglu,\u201d said Irem Tacyildiz, 24, an economics student at Middle East Technical University in the capital, Ankara, who has participated in protests. \u201cThe fire is already lit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But it remains unclear to what extent the nascent protest movement can sustain its momentum and succeed in persuading or forcing the government to change course.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The government removed Mr. Imamoglu <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/23\/world\/middleeast\/turkey-ekrem-imamoglu-istanbul.html\" title=\"\">from his post and jailed him on Sunday<\/a> pending trial on corruption charges. That same day, his political party picked him as its candidate in the next presidential election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">His university also annulled his diploma, citing improper procedures more than three decades ago, which effectively blocked him from the presidential race because candidates must have completed higher education.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Imamoglu has denied the charges and vowed to fight them in court. The opposition has called his arrest a \u201ccoup\u201d aimed at blocking a challenge to Mr. Erdogan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Turkey is officially a democratic republic, but foreign officials, experts and many Turks say that Mr. Erdogan has in recent years pushed the country toward autocracy and is now seeking to further <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/22\/world\/middleeast\/turkey-erdogan-democracy-istanbul-mayor-detention.html\" title=\"\">consolidate his power<\/a>. That means that Turks seeking to resist the government must reckon with Mr. Erdogan\u2019s control of the security forces and influence over the news media and courts, analysts say.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe authoritarian side is getting stronger and with each step, the areas for struggle where the opposition can express its positions and talk about injustices are becoming narrower,\u201d said Seren Selvin Korkmaz, co-director of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/istanpol.org\/en\/about-us\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">IstanPol<\/a>, an Istanbul-based think tank. \u201cSo the opposition always needs to find creative solutions to express their positions to the people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The news of Mr. Imamoglu\u2019s arrest led to large nightly protests in front of Istanbul\u2019s City Hall and in other Turkish cities. The police cleared many of them by force.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Leading the opposition is the Republican People\u2019s Party, or C.H.P., to which Mr. Imamoglu belongs. The party of Turkey\u2019s revered founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, it stands for staunchly secular government and draws most its support from the larger, coastal cities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Its most public face has been its leader, Ozgur Ozel, a pharmacist and lawmaker known for his altercations with members of Mr. Erdogan\u2019s ruling Justice and Development Party in Parliament. After Mr. Imamoglu\u2019s arrest, he took up residence in a room in City Hall with a small bed to coordinate the party\u2019s response, delivering fiery nightly speeches to the protesters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He called for boycotting companies linked to pro-government news channels that did not air footage of the demonstrations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cA boycott is coming for whoever ignores this square,\u201d he yelled during an address on Sunday, his voice hoarse. \u201cWe will use the power of our consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In an interview on Friday, Gokhan Gunaydin, a senior official with the party, said it would push for early presidential elections while trying to channel what he called a broader disgruntlement with the \u201cblatant anti-democratic push\u201d by the government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The party planned to stick with Mr. Imamoglu, he said, even if that meant prison became his \u201cpresidential campaign office.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The party would fight the charges against the mayor, his aides and other party officials and contest the cancellation of his diploma, he said. It would push ahead with the boycott and organize regular rallies to support Mr. Imamoglu around Istanbul and elsewhere in the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many protesters are university students expressing anger at how Mr. Erdogan has run the country and worried about restrictions on civil rights.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At first, the students at her university had been surprised by the harsh police response, said Ms. Tacyildiz, the economics student. So they organized precautions: gas masks, asthma medications and antacids, which can counter the effects of tear gas. A university search and rescue club volunteered to help if protesters got injured.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many of her friends have been arrested and police were patrolling her campus in plain clothes and using drones to track protests, she said. Some of the protesters wore masks to prevent the police from identifying them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The students distrust the courts and feel anxious about where the country is headed, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The government has issued blanket bans on public demonstrations and closed transit hubs, and riot police have dispersed protesters with water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray. More than 1,800 people have been arrested and about 260 jailed pending trial, according to the Interior Ministry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Pro-government news outlets, many owned by allies of Mr. Erdogan, have avoided live broadcasts of the protests while dedicating substantial airtime to the accusations against Mr. Imamoglu.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Thursday, a parliamentary committee that regulates the news media suspended an opposition broadcaster, SZC TV, for 10 days after accusing it of \u201cinciting the public to hatred and hostility,\u201d according to a statement on its website.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Three other pro-opposition channels were also fined for showing Mr. Ozel, the opposition party leader, criticizing the state prosecutor who ordered the mayor\u2019s arrest, an opposition member of the committee wrote on social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Erdogan has dismissed the protesters as violent vandals and accused the opposition of fueling havoc in the streets to avoid confronting the corruption allegations against its members.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Thursday, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc insisted to reporters that the courts were independent and criticized attempts to dismiss the investigation of Mr. Imamoglu as political.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis investigation is conducted entirely by independent judicial bodies, and when the investigative authorities become aware of these allegations, it would be unthinkable of them not to open an investigation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He denied any relation between Mr. Imamoglu\u2019s nomination to run for president and his detention.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis is not related to his candidacy process or other developments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Turkey\u2019s next election is scheduled for 2028, but many Turks expect Parliament to call for early elections in which Mr. Erdogan, 71, could potentially run against Mr. Imamoglu, 54.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Osman Sert, the director of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.panoramatr.com\/en\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">PanoramaTR<\/a>, a research institute in Ankara, said Mr. Imamoglu\u2019s arrest had a \u201crallying around the flag effect\u201d that helped unite the opposition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Still, he said, it faced a government with great power that would be a challenge to confront.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cTurkey is still not in a position where democracy is already on hold and totally canceled. But these are of course the most difficult days for democracy,\u201d he said. \u201cThese are the rules of the game and you can\u2019t get out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/29\/world\/middleeast\/turkey-opposition.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Turkey\u2019s largest opposition party is organizing rallies, urging boycotts of pro-government businesses and standing by its presidential candidate \u2014 even if he will have to campaign from jail. At universities, students have formed councils to direct protests and spread the word, sharing tips for dealing with the riot police and tear gas. Their efforts \u2014 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":269491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/28\/multimedia\/29int-turkey-assess\/28int-INTERPRETER-TURKEY-web-tbgw-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[43104,201841,206945,20840,80,201840,201842,25247,5118,163229,181069,15556,19216],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269490"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269490"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269492,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269490\/revisions\/269492"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}