Turkish riot police use water cannons ahead of deposed opposition leader’s speech to rally
Riot police used water cannons and pepper spray to block the opposition rally as supporters tried to reach Cumhuriyet Square, officials and local media said.
- On Tuesday, riot police in Turkey fired tear gas and water cannons to break up a rally called by ousted CHP leader Ozgur Ozel in Izmir, deploying steel barriers and water cannon trucks to block crowds from reaching Cumhuriyet Square.
- A court ruling on May 21 overturned a 2023 party primary that had elected Ozel as CHP leader, prompting a Thursday court order removing him and core party leadership from their posts in what many consider politically motivated.
- Police stormed CHP headquarters in Ankara on Sunday, firing plastic pellets and pepper spray to end a standoff where Ozel and supporters had barricaded themselves, two days before the Izmir confrontation.
- Despite police blockades, Ozel reached Cumhuriyet Square and delivered his speech, calling on the CHP's 2 million members to choose their own leadership and telling AFP that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has "lost all restraint."
- The CHP now polls level with Erdogan's ruling AKP and won major victories in 2024 municipal elections, with Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the party's presidential candidate, imprisoned since March last year on charges observers describe as politically motivated.
35 Articles
35 Articles
Turkish riot police use water cannons ahead of deposed Opposition leader's speech to rally
Ozgur Ozel and the core leadership of the Republican People's Party, or CHP, were removed from their posts on May 26 by a court order that many people consider to be politically motivated
After the dismissal of the Turkish opposition leader Özel there are further protests. Although the police are acting against him and his supporters, the ex-CHP leader could remain dangerous for the Erdoğan government. By B. Weber.
In the Turkish opposition stronghold of Izmir, thousands protest against the dismissal of CHP party leader Özel. He calls on his successor Kılıçdaroğlu to convene a party congress soon.
In the Turkish opposition stronghold Izmir thousands protest against the dismissal of CHP party leader Özgür Özel. For his successor they find sharp words.
The Turkish police attack protesters with water cannons and tear gas. In Izmir, the largest opposition party in Turkey had called for a rally.
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