Erdogan says protests over jailing of Istanbul mayor are ‘movement of violence’

ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that protests over the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor had turned into a “movement of violence” and said the main opposition party would be held accountable for injured police officers and damage to property.

The detention last Wednesday of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan’s main political rival, has triggered the biggest street protests in Turkey in more than a decade. On Sunday, a court jailed him, pending trial, on corruption charges that he denies.

Despite bans on street gatherings in many cities, the mostly peaceful anti-government demonstrations continued for a fifth consecutive night on Sunday, with hundreds of thousands taking part and Imamoglu’s opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) calling for the nationwide protests to continue.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan said the CHP should stop “provoking” citizens, adding that their “show” would eventually end and they would feel shame for the “evil” they had done to the country.

Earlier, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikiaya accused the protesters of “terrorising” the streets and threatening national security. He said 1,133 people had been detained during five days of protests and that 123 police officers had been injured.