Police cracks down on anti-government protests in Turkey: Police forces in Turkey have cracked down on peaceful anti-government protests in Istanbul and other Turkish cities, arresting over 1400 individuals by March 27, in the wake of the arrest of Istanbul Mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19. Imamoglu is the leader of the CHP, Turkey’s main opposition party. The government is also banning the live coverage of protests, and threatening the licenses of media outlets.

These mark the largest wave of protests since 2013, underscoring popular dissatisfaction with President Erdogan’s authoritarian grip on power.

Comment: Imamoglu’s arrest by Erdogan can be seen as latest attempt to stay in power. These protests also come on the back of increasing economic hardships in Turkey, with high inflation and a collapsing Lira as a result of Erdogan’s poor handling of the economy. Erdogan, who narrowly won the 2023  elections due to a divided opposition has remained in power for over 20 years is witnessing the opposition coalescing around Istanbul Mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. Imamoglu  and his CHP have been recently expanding beyond its traditional voter base. A day prior to Imamolgu’s, arrest, Istanbul University rescinded his degree, disqualifying him from public office. These protests will hurt organisations based in major Turkish cities like Istanbul and Ankara as escalating tension by protesters and police could lead to property damage. There is also a likely chance if the situation escalates, the government could fall to either a popular or military coup. Turkey has a history of military coups against non-secular governments like Erdogan’s, who managed to survive the 2016 coup with popular support. A coup will create short term business and travel disruptions. Travellers and organisations should remain vigilant of the current situation.