Turkish president blames opposition for recent wave of violence across country

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and its leader, Ozgur Ozel, fully responsible for the latest wave of violence that has swept the country.

The unrest, which erupted following the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, has led to violent clashes between protesters and police, resulting in numerous injuries and significant damage, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

In a speech aired on national television after a government meeting, Erdogan condemned the actions of the opposition party. "We followed with concern the events that unfolded after a call made by the main opposition party’s leader. They quickly descended into violence. A total of 123 of our police officers were wounded in attacks staged by fringe organizations and city gangs," he stated.

Erdogan further criticized the leadership of the opposition for their role in inciting the unrest. "Sadly, the opposition party’s leadership, including its chairman, acted irresponsibly. The party leader and his supporters, who called on people to take to the streets, now bear full responsibility for injuries sustained by police officers, for the damage done to businesses—whose shop windows were smashed—and for damage to state property, estimated at billions of Turkish lira," the president added.

The violence erupted on March 19, following the arrest of Imamoglu, a prominent member of the opposition party, on charges of corruption and abetting terrorism. In response to his detention, CHP leaders urged their supporters to protest, leading to widespread riots and violent clashes with law enforcement.

Erdogan emphasized that the consequences of the violence would be thoroughly examined. "All of this will be reviewed by the parliament, and the findings will be submitted to a court," he said.

By Vafa Guliyeva