Becoming a ‘dictatorship’: Anti-Erdogan protests in Turkiye spread to 55 out of 81 provinces

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - Protesters in London hold placards and flags as they attend a rally in support of Istanbul’s arrested mayor and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s biggest rival, Ekrem Imamoglu, days before the CHP was to formally name him their candidate for the 2028 presidential race. — AFP pic

ISTANBUL, March 23 — Those ruling over us are violating our rights,” said Ara Yildirim, a student who hopes young Turks “won’t give an inch” as the country braces for a fourth day of mass protests.

The arrest on Wednesday of Istanbul’s popular opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, sparked a wave of protest which has spread rapidly across the country in Turkey’s worst street unrest since the Gezi Park protests of 2013.

“We’ll still be living in Turkey in 20, 30 or 40 years’ time so we have to set it on the right track,” said this 20-year-old medical student in Kadikoy, a waterfront neighbourhood on the Asian side of the city.

The district has long been a bastion of opposition to Turkey’s authoritarian president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Vast crowds flooded the plaza outside City Hall on Saturday night, among them many students, with the protests spreading to 55 of Turkey’s 81 provinces.

The demonstrations were called by the main opposition CHP, which was on Sunday to formally name Imamoglu as its candidate for the 2028 presidential race.

‘Becoming a dictatorship’

“If people stay strong, maybe something positive will come out of all this,” said Yildirim, who has only ever known life under Erdogan.

Next to him, Inci Ercan, 19, also spoke of the “lack of freedom” in Turkey, her long black hair flecked with blue lowlights.

“Political (opposition) figures often end up in prison. Since I was little, there have been demonstrations but the government does nothing. People protest, there’s a crackdown and that’s the end of it,” she said.

Over the past few days, the street has been filled with the sound of people banging pots and pans in a show of support for Imamoglu, a sound increasingly heard across the city.

“We want more rights, we want to live in freedom and prosperity,” said 26-year-old Sevval, who works in a shop and who fears her country is turning into “a dictatorship”.

She went to protest outside City Hall on Thursday and was going again on Saturday. She did not want to give her surname for “fear of being targeted”.

But she thinks the protests will grow.

“We are more aware of things today and social media plays a bigger role in that,” she said.

‘Justice and democracy, not this mess’

Elsewhere, 25-year-old Koray said he was planning to leave Turkey, but before he does, he wants “to help improve things”.

“As a gay man, I’m attached to the issue of freedoms, but the main reason why young people are out protesting is the economy,” he told AFP, saying he was struggling to find work.

Turkey has been living through a severe economic crisis, with inflation at more than 35 percent for the past three years.

On the other side of the road, a small square bears the name of Ali Ismail Korkmaz, a 19-year-old student who was beaten to death during the 2013 Gezi Park protests.

Sitting on a scooter in a green hoodie, a glass of tea in hand, 27-year-old Ozkan believed that the current wave of protest could end up being bigger than 2013, which ended up fizzling out.

“Young people want justice and democracy. They don’t want to live in this mess any more,” he said. — AFP