Turkey rebels, Erdogan continues crackdown on protesters, mass arrests

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The violence in Turkey is being perpetrated not so much by the protesters against Erdogan's rule, but by the police who have been beating on the protesters. The Turks are not giving up and 

The recent arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and main rival of President Erdoğan has sparked the largest protests in Turkey in a decade, with over 1,100 people detained in demonstrations across the country. The mayor has been detained along with 106 municipal officials and politicians on March 19th for what Human Rights Watch says is politically motivated to stifle lawful political activities.

"By forcing Imamoglu out of politics, the government has crossed the line that separates Turkey’s competitive authoritarian regime from a full, Russian-style autocracy in which the president handpicks his opponents and elections are purely for show," Gonul Tol, Director of Turkish Program at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital.

Below is a brief video of how disgustingly the police are treating the public which shows the government's desperation.

A spokesperson from Turkey's embassy in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital that Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 1,133 people have been detained since the arrest of the mayor, and around 123 police officers have been injured since the start of protests. Yerlikaya also claimed that weapons were seized during the protests and the individuals detained were found to have ties to different terrorist organizations and prior criminal records. 

And if you believe that propaganda you might also believe guns kill people.

Some knowledgeable people believe the move was orchestrated by Erdoğan to sideline the opposition, silence political dissent and increase his own dictatorial power.

"This is a dark time for democracy in Turkey, with such a blatantly lawless move to weaponize the justice system to cancel the democratic process," Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

In an address to celebrate the festival of Nowruz on Friday, Erdoğan said Turkey was not a country that was found on the street and will not submit to street terrorism.

"We will not allow public order to be damaged. We will not give in to vandalism or street terrorism," Erdoğan said, according to Reuters.

What this really means is that Erdoğan does not believe in freedom of expression and is doing all he can to stop the protests on the streets. People are not only getting arrested, they're getting hurt, sometimes seriously hurt.

The opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) held a symbolic primary vote over the weekend and nominated İmamoğlu to be the party’s candidate for president to face Erdoğan in the 2028 elections.

Despite the increased repression and threats to their own safety and security, the Turkish opposition is apparently not backing down.

"We, as the main opposition party that emerged as the first party in the last local elections in March 2024, will stand firm and resist any kind of oppression by the government," İlhan Uzgel, CHP Deputy Chairman for Foreign Policy said.

Uzgel correctly stated that Erdoğan seems frightened of losing power. He is urging opposition supporters to take to the streets to defend democracy, challenge lawlessness, and challenge the Erdoğan government's abuse of power.

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"We are happy to see that our people take to the streets despite the occasional use of force by the riot police, and demonstrate peacefully, which is a constitutional right," he added.

Imamoglu, who was recently jailed and is awaiting trial on corruption charges, was the most serious challenger to the decades-long rule of Erdoğan. His detention will likely keep him out of the political opposition for the foreseeable future, dealing a huge blow to Turkey’s pro-democracy movement.

Tol of the Middle East Institute said Erdoğan is counting on people’s anger dissipating over time and that the mass protests will eventually die down. 

The election is not scheduled until 2028, and people, Erdoğan hopes, will most likely forget and move on. However, it's never a good idea to think the public is stupid and this is what he's doing. I suspect it will not end well for him and that the Turkish people will eventually prevail.

İmamoğlu, member of the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP), was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019 and re-elected in 2023. In both elections, he defeated Erdoğan-backed opponents which is a good indication that he would handily defeat Erdoğan in an election.

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