In just four days since the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul, reactions and the crowds filling the streets of major urban centers are growing exponentially. One would expect that such movement from Turkish society would lead to a counter-reaction from the Turkish authorities and the country’s president. However, Tayyip Erdogan, since the beginning of his political career, has remained true to his principles and, above all, to the methods he employs to achieve his goals. Ekrem İmamoğlu, who spent nearly five hours last night defending himself in front of an investigator who asked nearly 200 questions related to the charges against him, refused to answer at least 60 of them, calling the process a mockery. He ended his testimony by saying he was “much sadder today because, unfortunately, the justice system is in much worse condition than I knew and have experienced.”

For the first time last night, after peaceful but large protests, mainly in Ankara and Istanbul, there were also clashes, particularly in Izmir, where the police used water cannons to disperse the protesters who responded by throwing bottles and stones. Arrests during the protests were not numerous, with around 90 people detained and over 200 brought in for questioning across Turkey. However, as the weekend begins, developments are expected to intensify, as the Republican People’s Party will have to announce what it will do regarding the elections planned to nominate a candidate for the 2028 Presidential election. Another important factor will be the actions of the judicial authorities and how quickly the indictment is issued to imprison İmamoğlu. In any case, protests are scheduled in all major urban centers of Turkey, despite the bans, and both the police and specialized anti-terrorism units are on alert.

The critical moments are not only for İmamoğlu, his family, and his party but also for Turkish society, especially the significant core of the secular Turkish state that strongly disagrees with Erdogan’s Islamic style of governance. Today, to protest against Erdogan, one needs considerable courage, as there are more plainclothes police within the protests than uniformed officers at checkpoints and roadblocks, which make the already congested traffic of Istanbul a “hell.” Fear is everywhere around you, but what isn’t seen or heard—since the thousands protesting are but a fraction of the 16 million residents of Istanbul—is the “enough is enough” that everyone responds with, regardless of gender or social level, when asked what they feel. This “enough is enough” response from taxi drivers, civil servants, doctors, and even university professors is a voice that, though “silent,” holds a significant and realistic possibility of sweeping away not only the streets and the intentions of the Turkish President soon.

Erdogan has conquered every individual and political “Everest” in the decades and political positions he has held. However, what no one can ever win as a human being is time, and in politics—at least as it is expressed in democracies—people’s will. The risks Erdogan is taking are necessary, analysts note, as he is one of the few politicians in the world who has a real understanding of what is happening in society. In trying to “finish off” İmamoğlu today, he holds evidence that leads him to these actions. The country’s president seems to understand that if he allows the gap to grow in public opinion, there will be no turning back in three years.