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Britons have been warned against visiting Turkey this spring amid mass arrests and a government crackdown on the largest protests the country has seen in more than a decade over the jailing of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Monday advised Britons against “all travel to parts of Turkey” due to the growing unrest in Istanbul and other Turkish cities over the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu last week.
The foreign office warned that the demonstrations “may become violent” and that the local police have responded by using tear gas and water cannons.
“Large demonstrations continue to occur outside diplomatic missions connected to the conflict in major cities, particularly Israeli diplomatic missions in Ankara and Istanbul,” the foreign office said, urging Britons to avoid all demonstrations and leave the area if one develops.
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The protests began last week after hundreds and thousands of people, defying a ban on street gatherings, assembled to demonstrate against the arrest of Mr Imamoglu. On Sunday, a court jailed him, pending trial, on corruption charges that he denies.
His arrest has been widely interpreted as a political attempt to remove a major challenger to Mr Erdogan ahead of the 2028 presidential election, causing Turkey’s stock market to suffer its greatest hit since the 2008 financial crisis amid condemnation from Ankara’s European neighbours.
In a televised speech, Mr Erdogan on Monday called the protests “evil” and claimed that it had become a “movement of violence” while blaming the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
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Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Mr Erdogan said the CHP should stop “provoking” citizens. “As a nation, we followed with surprise the events that emerged after the main opposition leader’s call to take to the streets following an Istanbul-based corruption operation turned into a movement of violence,” the 71-year-old president said.
“The main opposition is responsible for our (injured) police officers, the broken windows of our shopkeepers, and the damaged public property. They will be held accountable for all this, politically in parliament and legally by the judiciary.”
Earlier, interior minister Ali Yerlikaya accused some protesters of “terrorising” the streets and threatening national security. More than a dozen journalists were among 1,133 people detained during five days of protests, according to reports. The minister said 123 police officers suffered injuries.
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The Disk-Basin-Is media workers’ union said at least eight reporters and photojournalists were detained in what it called an “attack on press freedoms and the people’s right to learn the truth”. It called for their immediate release.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s X said it was objecting to multiple court orders from Turkish authorities to block more than 700 accounts, including that of news organisations, journalists and political figures.
A CHP delegation met Istanbul’s governor to discuss the police crackdown on the protesters, while the party’s Istanbul head Ozgur Celik said police intervention on Sunday night had been the most violent so far, with many people being hospitalised.
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Addressing hundreds of thousands of people in front of the Istanbul Municipality headquarters in Sarachane again, Mr Ozel repeated a call to boycott media, brands, and stores he called pro-Erdogan.
Mr Ozel called for continued protests, adding: “Whoever Tayyip Erdogan unjustly puts in jail, this square is defending them, for democracy and for Turkey.”
He added his opposition party would also appeal for Mr Imamoglu to be released pending trial, and for his trial to be broadcast on the TRT state broadcaster. He challenged Mr Erdogan to a televised debate, while calling on protesters to maintain public order and avoid clashes.
