Turkey protests are about far more than fate of Istanbul's mayor

 

Beneath the acrid smell of tear gas on the night air in Istanbul, there is a hint of something else - a whiff of panic on the part of Turkey's long-time leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

One of his rivals has been put behind bars - so far, so familiar.

But the jailing of Ekrem Imamoglu, the popular mayor of Istanbul, suggests President Erdogan is rattled – and he may have gone too far. The mayor's opposition Republican People's party (CHP), which is summoning vast crowds onto the streets, is certainly hoping so.

Ekrem Imamoglu - always smartly turned out, even as he prepared to be detained - is the main rival to Turkey's increasingly authoritarian leader. He could well replace him in presidential elections due to be held by 2028 - assuming he is free to contest them.

But this is far more than a row about the fate of Istanbul's mayor - charismatic though he may be.

Freedom and democracy have been steadily eroded in the Erdogan era. Many see this as a chance to call halt and stop the descent into all-out autocracy - if it's not already too late.

And they are coming out each night braving the riot police and their tear gas and rubber bullets, the ban on demonstrations, the road and bridge closures, and the risk of detention.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqlywl04pklo