Tense protests grow in Turkey over Istanbul mayor's detention


A person walks past a banner with an image of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as people take part in a protest against the detention of Imamoglu, in Istanbul, Turkey, March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Protests against the detention of Istanbul's mayor grew on Friday and turned increasingly tense, Turkey's biggest show of civil disobedience in more than a decade after President Tayyip Erdogan warned it would not be tolerated.

Tens of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets in mostly peaceful demonstrations since Wednesday, when Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained and charged. He is Erdogan's main political rival who leads him in some opinion polls.

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