ISTANBUL: Following some of the largest displays of civil disobedience in over a decade following the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan issued a warning on Friday that Turkiye would not put up with public disturbances or street violence.
“The disturbance of public order will not be tolerated. Erdogan, 71, addressed a crowd in the capital Ankara, “We will not give in to vandalism, just as we have never given in to street terrorism.”
Following two days of protests by thousands of people in Istanbul, Ankara, and other places, especially on university campuses, which resulted in some altercations, the warning was issued. Some crowds were dispersed by police using water cannons, and roadways were closed.
