Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, declared Monday that the jailing of the mayor of Istanbul had turned into a “movement of violence” and that the main opposition party will be held responsible for any property damage and police officer injuries.
The largest street demonstrations in Turkey in over 10 years have been sparked by the arrest of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan’s principal political opponent, last Wednesday. On Sunday, he was imprisoned by a court pending trial for corruption charges he disputes.
Ali Yerlikaya, the interior minister, had earlier charged that some demonstrators were “terrorising” the streets and endangering national security. During the five days of protests, he added, 1,133 individuals had been arrested and 123 police officers had been hurt.
Erdogan’s government disputes the accusations made against Imamoglu, which his opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and its allies say are politically motivated and undemocratic.
Hundreds of thousands of people participated in the largely peaceful anti-government protests on Sunday for the fifth consecutive night, despite the fact that several towns have banned street meetings. Ozgur Ozel, the chairman of the CHP, called for the protests to continue across the country.
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