21.03.2025 00:10
The leader of the CHP, Özgür Özel, stated, "They are asking me if I am calling for the streets. Yes, I am calling for the streets." In response, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reacted strongly. Yerlikaya said, "Calling the people to the streets and squares is, at the very least, 'irresponsible.' I urge the demonstrators: Do not fall for the games of the provocateurs among you."
After the detention of İBB President Ekrem İmamoğlu, protests were held in many cities. The protests turned chaotic in Saraçhane, where the İBB campus is located.
YERLİKAYA: CALLING THE PEOPLE TO THE STREETS IS, AT THE VERY LEAST, IRRESPONSIBLE
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel made a "call to the streets," while 6 police officers were injured in the scuffles during the protests in Saraçhane. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya responded harshly to Özel's call in a statement on his social media account. Yerlikaya said: "Calling the people to the streets and squares is, at the very least, 'irresponsibility.' No one can bear the burden of stirring up the streets; neither politically, legally, nor morally!"
"DON'T FALL FOR THE PROVOCATEURS' TRICKS"
I am addressing the demonstrators: Don't fall for the tricks of the provocateurs among you! Our police are on duty 24/7 to ensure the peace and security of our esteemed nation."
"FROM NOW ON, WE ARE IN THE STREETS"
Özgür Özel said in his speech in Saraçhane: "From now on, no one should expect politics from CHP in the halls. From now on, we are in the streets, we are in the squares. The streets are ours, the squares are ours. I am addressing all of Turkey. Without resorting to violence, to claim our rights, to take what is ours, the streets are ours, the squares are ours. They tell me, are you making a call to the streets? Yes, I am making a call to the streets!
From now on, the walls of fear have been torn down. Kudos to those who break the barricades and exceed hundreds of thousands. No one will stay at home on Sunday. Are we ready for this historic duty? Sunday is no longer just a day for CHP members."