‘They’ve crossed a threshold of fear’: Turkey’s youth rise up

For nearly two decades, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has maintained an iron grip on power. Today, however, his leadership faces one of its biggest tests yet: a wave of mass protests ignited by the imprisonment of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, a rising star in the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the country’s main opposition. Imamoglu’s rapid ascent in Turkish politics has made him a natural rival to Erdogan.

In 2019, Imamoglu’s victory in Istanbul’s mayoral race delivered a stunning blow to the ruling party, breaking decades of control over Turkey’s largest and most influential city.

Despite government efforts to annul the election and force a rerun, Imamoglu won again—this time by an even larger margin. His popularity continued to grow, making him a formidable opposition figure.

“He clearly had the numbers. In Turkey’s three largest cities—Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir—the mayors are all from the opposition, not Erdogan’s party.

These cities represent nearly half of Turkey’s 85 million people and the most literate and culturally advanced ones,” Baykar Sivazliyan, an Armenian professor and expert on Turkish affairs, told The Media Line.

Last month, Erdogan’s government accused Imamoglu of terrorism-related charges, including allegedly aiding Kurdish gunmen from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)—an accusation widely seen as politically motivated.

Imamoglu was detained on March 19 and arrested four days later. Under international pressure, the charges were later reduced to “insulting public officials, bribery, and corruption.”

Sivazliyan sees a clear pattern in Erdogan’s actions. “This was an organized coup against Imamoglu to prevent him to run for the next presidential elections,” he said. “First, they revoked his academic diploma, which is an essential requirement in Turkey to run for president, and then they imprisoned him. It was all part of a strategy to eliminate him as a political threat.”

A broader demand for political change

The streets of Turkey have become the stage for one of the largest protest movements in recent years. What began as outrage over Imamoglu’s arrest has evolved into a broader demand for political change.

“Journalists report hundreds of thousands in the streets, but I estimate millions,” Sivazliyan said. “However, this movement is not completely unified. Different factions, especially minoritarian ones, have different goals from the CHP—but Erdogan is the common enemy.”

The protests have drawn an unlikely mix of demonstrators: secular young people, Kurdish activists, left-wing groups, and even nationalist factions once aligned with Erdogan.

Among them are members of the Grey Wolves, an ultranationalist group that has traditionally backed the president.

“During demonstrations, some protestors did the Wolves’ sign with their hands, and the fact that they are taking part in the protests in the first place is clearly significant and something new,” Sivazliyan noted. “They are a crucial part of Erdogan’s parliamentary alliance. If he loses their support, he loses his absolute majority.”

For many, these demonstrations represent more than just opposition to Erdogan—they are about reclaiming their future. Tarik, a Kurdish photographer documenting the unrest, described the mood in Istanbul’s Sarachane Square.

“For young people, it feels like a scene from A Tale of Two Cities—a future slipping away,” he said. “The older generation is just exhausted and angry. The dominant color here is the red of the Turkish flag. There is a general fight against hostility toward refugees and toward Kurds. It’s as if modern politics has been reduced to pure nationalism.”

Erdogan’s administration has responded with its usual playbook: arrests, censorship, and crackdowns. Nearly 2,000 people have been detained, including some local journalists covering the protests.

BBC correspondent Mark Lowen has been deported following state claims that he lacked press accreditation. Yet, the movement persists, even as protest leaders, journalists, and student activists are detained.

“Most of those arrested are university students, some of them my schoolmates,” Tarik said. “Many of them had no political history before this. But now, they’ve crossed a threshold of fear.”

An Istanbul-based activist, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the government’s intimidation tactics have not deterred the demonstrators. “Millions are participating—some on the streets, others online,” the activist said. “This isn’t about any specific political party. It’s about defending our rights and our future.”

Despite the growing unrest, Erdogan remains a difficult leader to unseat. Turkey’s geopolitical importance also gives it leverage on the world stage.

“Turkey—and consequently Erdogan—have been at the center of so many global issues: the control of the flow of migration from the Balkan route into Europe, the active role in Syria and in foreign conflicts such as the Russian-Ukrainian and the Israel-Hamas one, the Azerbaijan oil route,” Sivazliyan explained. “Because of this, the West largely ignores what’s happening and sticks to silence. Erdogan presents an illusion of democracy while keeping a firm grip on power. He’s a skilled operator.”

Once seen as the man who drove Turkey’s economic rise, Erdogan now finds himself accused of prioritizing power over democracy. Critics say his rule has shifted from reformist beginnings to increasing authoritarianism, with a crackdown on dissent that has only fueled public anger.

Erdogan’s control over state institutions and the media makes it unlikely he will be forced out through protests alone. But cracks are beginning to show, and his handling of the crisis may determine his long-term survival.

Looking at the ongoing protests, Sivazliyan believes any shift will likely come from within Erdogan’s own circle. “If there’s a drastic change in leadership, it will be because of Erdogan’s health,” he said. “His successor would likely be someone close to him—maybe the foreign minister could take over, but the protests alone are not enough to push him out completely.”

But for those in the streets, hope remains. “I’ve always believed this,” Tarik said. “People are free.”

The anonymous activist was even more certain. “Without a doubt, these protests will bring an end to Erdogan’s rule,” she said. “There’s no turning back now.”