Erdogan Condemns ‘Movement of Violence’ After Sixth Night of Turkish Protests

Turkey’s president called on the main opposition party to stop provoking demonstrations in support of Istanbul’s detained mayor.

University students sit next to riot police officers during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul on March 24, 2025. Huseyin Aldemir/AP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that the protests against the arrest and detention of Istanbul’s mayor had become a “movement of violence.”

Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, 54, Erdogan’s main political rival, was arrested on corruption and terrorism charges on March 19, triggering the biggest street protests in Turkey since the Gezi Park demonstrations in May 2013.