Police, Protesters Clash in Istanbul Amid Suppression of Main Opposition Party

The standoff marked the latest chapter in a months-long government suppression of Turkey’s Republican People’s Party.

A protester wrapped in the Turkish flag sits in front of riot police outside the headquarters of the CHP, Turkey's main opposition party, in Istanbul on Sept. 8, 2025. Kemal Aslan/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish riot police clashed with demonstrators on Sept. 8 outside the Istanbul headquarters of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which in recent months has seen scores of its members—including elected officials—arrested.

CHP lawmakers barricaded the entrance of the party headquarters in Istanbul’s Sariyer district to prevent the removal of Ozgur Celik, head of the party’s Istanbul branch, in line with a recent court decision.