Turkish students gather on March 24, 2025 in Beşiktaş, an opposition stronghold in Istanbul, to demonstrate following the arrest of the city's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. (Credit: Mathilde Warda)
After five days of protests outside Istanbul’s city hall, students gathered in Besiktas, also on the European side of Istanbul, before converging on the city hall. “We’re trying to change locations to be more visible because there’s a lot of press censorship,” said Yigit, a student. On March 24, at least nine journalists were arrested at their homes early in the morning, and 700 X accounts were blocked. Before that, at least 50 people had been arrested due to their posts on social media.‘This country has never been so ruined’Since the house arrest of his main rival, Ekrem Imamoglu, on March 19, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s new autocratic crackdown has driven Turks into the streets in growing numbers each day. The protests are the largest since the Gezi movement in 2013 to contest the urban development plan for Istanbul’s Taksim Gezi...
After five days of protests outside Istanbul’s city hall, students gathered in Besiktas, also on the European side of Istanbul, before converging on the city hall. “We’re trying to change locations to be more visible because there’s a lot of press censorship,” said Yigit, a student. On March 24, at least nine journalists were arrested at their homes early in the morning, and 700 X accounts were blocked. Before that, at least 50 people had been arrested due to their posts on social media.‘This country has never been so ruined’Since the house arrest of his main rival, Ekrem Imamoglu, on March 19, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s new autocratic crackdown has driven Turks into the streets in growing numbers each day. The protests are the largest since the Gezi movement in 2013 to contest the urban development plan for...