Erdogan Calls Turkey Protests as Unrest Continues

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed opposition parties for violence. Protests have continued for six nights across the country.

The unrest began in Istanbul last Wednesday. Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan's main rival, was detained on corruption charges.

On Monday, thousands gathered again to protest. Tensions escalated on Sunday night with tear gas and rubber bullets used against protesters.

Imamoglu, suspended from his mayoral post, claims the charges are politically motivated. Erdogan denies this accusation.

Riot police were present near Istanbul's city hall on Monday night. Protesters chanted and waved Turkish flags as they marched.

Water cannon vehicles were also nearby. However, protests remained largely peaceful without major clashes like those on Sunday.

Before Monday evening’s protests, the government reported 1,133 arrests since the unrest began. In a televised statement, Erdogan called the demonstrations "evil."

He accused opposition parties of provoking violence and disturbing citizens' peace. He urged an end to protests and criticized opposition statements over the past five days.

CHP leader Özgür Özel addressed the crowd on Monday night. He described the demonstration as "an act of defiance against fascism."

Özel plans to visit Imamoglu in jail on Tuesday. He stated that CHP would appeal for Imamoglu's release pending trial and request a live broadcast of it.

Despite being in custody, Imamoglu was confirmed as CHP's candidate for Turkey's 2028 presidential election. This vote was symbolic since he was unopposed.

He spent Sunday night in jail after being charged with serious offenses including bribery and extortion.

In a post on X over the weekend, Imamoglu vowed to "never bow" and criticized his arrest as a "black stain" on democracy.

He expressed support for protesters and said voters had shown they had "enough" of Erdogan.

These recent demonstrations are the largest since Turkey’s Gezi protests in 2013. They started over plans to demolish a local park in Istanbul.

While largely peaceful, police used water cannons and pepper spray during clashes on Sunday.

Dilek Kaya Imamoglu, his wife, spoke outside city hall about her husband's injustice resonating with many people.

Imamoglu was among more than 100 people detained last week during an investigation involving politicians and journalists.

His arrest does not prevent him from running for president unless he is convicted of any charges against him.

Imamoglu is seen as one of Erdogan’s strongest rivals after 22 years in power as prime minister and president.

However, due to term limits, Erdogan cannot run again in 2028 unless he changes the constitution.

Turkey's Ministry of Justice criticized claims linking Erdogan to these arrests and emphasized judicial independence.