Protests held in the London following the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu

Following the arrest of Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, protests were organized in the London under the leadership of the CHP UK.

In a meeting held on Wednesday at the CHP UK , not only by party members but representatives of various organising groups based in the UK also attended, at the meeting a decision was made they would show their support and stand in solidarity with Ekrem İmamoğlu.

Following this decision, a protest was organized on Thursday afternoon in front of the Turkish Embassy in London.

CHP UK President Mehmet Şar, along with a few others, placed a black wreath in front of the Embassy with the saying “Egemenlik Kayıtsız Şartsız milletindir” (Sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the nation).

In a statement he read Şar said ‘the arrests in Turkey were politically motivated and that the whole world was aware of this’. Adding “CHP will emerge even stronger from all these attacks. Even AKP’s own voters will not be able to accept this injustice, and the result will be similar to the repeated mayoral election in Istanbul.”

CHP UK Vice President Savaş Hurman read a press statement on behalf of the Turkey Democracy Platform: “The fundamental pillars of democracy and the rule of law in Turkey are under serious threat due to recent events. The arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and other elected mayors is a direct attack on the will of the people and democratic values.

“The detention of İmamoğlu and over 100 others on baseless terrorism and corruption charges is part of the government’s efforts to suppress the opposition. This situation clearly demonstrates how severely the rule of law and judicial independence have been undermined in our country.

“Furthermore, the arrest of 37 more individuals for allegedly making ‘provocative’ social media posts poses a serious threat to freedom of expression.

“These events are a clear indication of the ongoing erosion of democracy and human rights in Turkey. International human rights organizations and democratic nations must raise their voices against these injustices and stand up for democratic values in Turkey.

“As the Turkey Democracy Platform, we strongly condemn these attacks on our democracy and the will of the people. We call on all citizens and the international community to stand against these unlawful actions…”

PROTEST ON SUNDAY AT TRAFALGAR SQUARE

It was announced that the protest would be repeated on Saturday, March 22, but at a different location this time at Trafalgar Square in London.

CHP UK announced via social media that “All Our People Are Invited” to the demonstration at Trafalgar Square on Saturday, March 22, at 2:00 PM.