Turkish President Tayyip erdogan said on Monday that you protest through the prison of Istanbul’s The mayor had become a « violence movement » and that the main part of the opposition would be responsible for injured police officers and property damage.
The arrest last Wednesday by Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan’s main political rival, has triggered the largest street protests in Turkey In more than a decade. On Sunday, a court imprisoned him, pending the trial, by the allegations of corruption he denies.
The main party of the Republican people of the Opposition of Imamoglu (CHP) and his supporters say that the charges against him are politically motivated and undemocratic, something that the Government of Erdogan denies.
Despite the prohibition imposed on streets in many cities, mostly peaceful anti -public demonstrations continued on Monday, with hundreds of thousands who participated, and the CHP Ozgur Ozel leader repeated a call for national protests to continue.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan said that the CHP should stop « provoking » citizens.
« As a nation, we followed the events arising after the call of the leader of the main opposition to go out on the street after a corruption operation based on Istanbul became a movement of violence, » said the 71 -year -old President.
« The main opposition is responsible for our (injured) police officers, the broken windows of our shopkeepers and damaged public property. They will be responsible for all this, politically in Parliament and legally by the judiciary. »
Previously, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya accused some protesters of « terrorizing » the streets and threatening national security. He said that 1,133 people had been detained for five days of protests and that 123 police officers had been injured.
A CHP delegation met with the Governor of Istanbul to discuss the police repression of protesters. Istanbul’s chief Ozgur, Celik, said that the police intervention on Sunday night had been the most violent so far, with many people hospitalized.
Hundreds of thousands of people in front of the headquarters of the municipality of Istanbul again in Sarachane, the CHP Ozel leader repeated a boycott call in the media, to the brands and the shops he called Pro-Erdogan, adding that all positions against Imamoglu were found without evidence and without evidence.
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« Who Tayyip Erdogan unfairly puts in prison, this square defends them, for democracy and for Turkey, » said Ozel, who also called for continued protests as crowds hectic flags and sang slogans that called for the government to resign.
Ozel added that his party would also appeal to Imamoglu to be released pending the trial and that his trial was transmitted to the TRT State station. And he challenged Erdogan on a televised debate, as he asked protesters to maintain public order and avoid clashes.
In front of Ozel’s direction, in the historic Galata de Istanbul bridge, a protest of the protest blocked traffic on both sides of the bridge, while others gathered elsewhere in the city, in Ankara and other cities.
Moments after Ozel finished his speech, police shot pellets and tear gas, and used water cannons to disperse protesters in Istanbul, while detaining several people. In Ankara, protesters stood in front of trucks carrying water rates and asked police to let them go in peace.
Protesters say the mayor imprisoned « for no reason »
Imamoglu, 54, was imprisoned on Sunday, as the CHP held a primary election to call the presidency candidate. About 15 million votes were issued in support of the mayor.
The news of the arrest of Imamoglu covered the first pages of Turkish newspapers on Monday, with the opposition means that suggest that the mayor was arrested to be Erdogan’s most credible challenging challenger.
The mayor’s supporters said the Imamoglu prison showed a lack of justice in Turkey.
« I think there is an injustice committed against Imamoglu. They put the man in prison for no reason, » said Adem Bali, a 22 -year -old construction worker.
Rights groups and European countries said that the arrest of Imamoglu marked the democratic backward and criticized police intervention. Germany said that he did Turkey’s search for membership in the EU, which he has directed for decades, sounded « more and more empty. »
A meeting of the EU-Turkey mixed parliamentary committee was postponed on Monday after the EU part « concluded that the current circumstances are not conducive » to the meeting, as he said in a statement.
A CHP official said on Monday that the party would appeal to a decision from Istanbul University to annul the Imamoglu Diploma, which was necessary for the eligibility in a presidency, and also added the mayor’s appeals.
Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for more than two decades and has no immediate evidence at the polls, said that the events of the last days showed that the CHP was not suitable for leading local municipalities, much less the nation.
He also sought to reassure investors who last week sold Turkish assets after the news of the arrest of Imamoglu, sending actions, bonds and the lyre currency that was decreased and caused the Central Bank to intervene with the sales of currencies and other stabilizing measures.
« Our main priority is to protect macrofinancial stability. The Ministry of Treasure and Finance, the Central Bank, all relevant institutions, with our support, are working day and night in the middle of coordination, taking all the necessary steps, » said Erdogan.
The Istanbul Bourse .XU.XU100 reference index retreated some losses on Monday after suffering a 16.6% fall last week, its worst fall since the world financial crisis in October 2008.
Analysts expect a prolonged period of political crisis and uncertainty.
« Protests mark the most significant and widespread public reaction in more than a decade, which makes the trajectory difficult to predict, » said Wolfango Piccoli, co -president of Teneo Consultatancy.
« Again, President Erdogan’s political agenda has caused serious damage to Turkey’s economic perspectives. »
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