Thousands marchd in the streets across Turkey on Friday, defying a warning from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against protests in the wake of the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
Istanbul police used tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets to scatter protesters trying to topple barricades near the ancient aqueduct. Exactly the same scenes transpired in Ankara and Izmir, where authorities employed the violent methods to disperse crowds. A minimum of 97 people have been arrested across the country, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya tweeted.
Mayor Imamoglu, a top opposition figure and top rival to Erdogan, was detained on corruption and ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Wednesday. Opponents accuse the arrest of being a politically motivated attempt to crush a potential opponent before 2028 presidential election. 
Despite Erdogan’s implicit threat to protests, main opposition Ozgur Ozel advised citizens to keep on with peaceful demonstrations. “I call on millions to make use of their constitutional rights,” he said at the rally outside city hall.
Guns were also fired at the Iraqi consulate in Istanbul on Friday as tensions increased even more. No one was injured in the incident and the authorities are investigating the case.
The opposition has ruled out accepting defeat, calling a symbolic election, and holding an extraordinary party congress on April 6. Turkey prepares for further unrest as Erdogan tightens his hand.
