Another major demonstration took place on Saturday afternoon in Maltepe, Istanbul, organized by Turkey’s main opposition party (CHP). Tens of thousands of people gathered, calling for the release of Ekrem İmamoğlu and demanding “justice” and “fairness.”
Although detained, İmamoğlu was virtually present at the rally through artificial intelligence, delivering a brief message to the crowd:
“I am well aware that new conspiracies may be devised for the political ambitions of some. I am not afraid. Our nation stands united. Our nation has shown that it is the true guardian of the state. I will not take a single step back. I will fight with honesty and sincerity. I entrust my fate first to Allah and then to the people. From my dark cell, I cry out as loudly as my love for my country: Our nation is greater than any government.”
İmamoğlu’s wife, Dilek, also addressed the crowd, stating:
“They are punishing him because they feel powerless in the face of the people’s love for him. They know they will never win the hearts of the nation the way Ekrem did, so they punish him. Let them do as they wish—Ekrem will not bow. What wall can be built to stop love? What bars can conceal the truth?”
His mother, Hava İmamoğlu, greeted the crowd with words of encouragement:
“Everything will be fine. My son serves the people. He loves the people, and the people love him. I am grateful to have a son like him.”
In an unexpected and lighthearted moment, following a student-led rally for İmamoğlu in Antalya just a day earlier, a Batman impersonator appeared among the demonstrators in Maltepe—this time, without his Batmobile.
