The situation in Turkey remains volatile as tensions escalate following the judicial decision to imprison Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

While thousands of citizens defy bans and prepare to take to the streets once again, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused the opposition of “embracing street terrorism” and ignoring violence against the police. Meanwhile, İmamoğlu, speaking from prison, denounced “the fear of a handful of people” and called for mass participation in demonstrations across the country’s squares.

Despite more than 1,133 arrests since last Wednesday, thousands of students were already marching from Beşiktaş to Taksim Square on Monday evening.

“They Opened Their Arms to Street Terrorism”

Following a Cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdoğan launched a fierce attack against İmamoğlu’s opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), stating that they would be held accountable for police injuries and property damage because “they opened their arms to street terrorism.”

According to Erdoğan, the CHP must stop inciting citizens, warning that the “show will inevitably come to an end, and the opposition will feel ashamed for what it has done to the country.”

He also stated that there would be both political and legal consequences. “The opposition leader is primarily responsible for provoking riots and causing damage. Political accountability will be sought in Parliament, and legal accountability in the courts,” he declared, claiming that the unrest turned violent after opposition calls for protests. “Opposition leaders have shown complete irresponsibility, resorting to shallow and unethical statements instead of addressing corruption allegations,” he added.

“A country like Turkey cannot have such a narrow-minded, reckless, and incompetent main opposition,” Erdoğan said, urging opposition members to respond to accusations of corruption, bribery, and misconduct.

İmamoğlu: ‘My Election is a Wonderful Development, Increasing the Fear of a Handful of Bad People’

Earlier, İmamoğlu, who has been placed in pretrial detention, called on Turkish citizens to protest peacefully in public squares across the country at 8:30 PM.

Speaking from prison, he described his nomination as the CHP’s presidential candidate as a “wonderful development” that brings “great hope,” adding that it has “made a handful of bad people miserable. Their fear has grown. Let them fear… they should be afraid.”