Police used pepper spray inside the Istanbul offices of Turkey’s main opposition party on Monday, to disperse dozens of party officials and clear the way for a court-appointed interim chairman to enter the building amid fierce protests over his controversial appointment, party officials said,
AP reports.
Riot police also scuffled with supporters of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, who assembled at locations close to the headquarters in defiance of a temporary ban on public gatherings and a police blockade of its local branch.
The police raid came amid an intensifying crackdown on the CHP, including municipalities run by the party over alleged corruption, which has led to a series of arrests, including that of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. The deposed mayor is widely regarded as the leading challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-decade rule, and his arrest in March sparked the largest protests Turkey has seen in over a decade.
Last week, an Istanbul court suspended the CHP’s provincial leadership, citing alleged irregularities in the party’s 2023 congress. The court also appointed Gursel Tekin, a former CHP lawmaker aligned with the party’s old guard, as interim chair. Critics have condemned the move as a politically motivated intervention aimed at weakening the party.
