Facing government crackdown on dissent, Turkey’s protesters put aside their differences

Turkey's largest anti-government protests unite diverse groups against Erdogan's authoritarianism, sparking hope for democratic change.

The arrest of Opposition Presidential candidate last month has triggered Turkey's largest anti-government protests in more than a decade, uniting demonstrators from various walks of life and sometimes diametrically opposed political views.

It includes supporters of popular Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, and young people who see all politicians as ineffective. Protesters range from the socialist left to the ultra-nationalist right, and from university students to retirees.

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They are united by a sense that the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has grown increasingly authoritarian, diminishing the secular and democratic values and laws that the country was built upon. They are fuelled by outrage at Mr. Imamoglu's arrest and the government's attempts to quell the ensuing protests.

The protests began after the government arrested Mr. Imamoglu, the man seen as posing the most serious electoral challenge to Mr. Erdogan in years, on March 19, 2025. Prosecutors accuse him of corruption and aiding an outlawed Kurdish organisation.

Critics say the charges are an excuse to get a key rival out of the way, but the government denies interfering with the legal process. The largest protests have happened alongside rallies of Mr. Imamoglu's centre-left pro-secularist Republican People’s Party, known as the CHP, but many young protesters said they don't support the party.

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