An urgent safety warning has been issued to British tourists in Turkey after huge protests erupted following the arrest of President Erdogan’s main political rival.
On Monday, the Foreign Office warned travellers about the ongoing demonstrations in Istanbul and other Turkish cities, which have seen riot police clashing with protestors in the street.
The travel authority cautioned that ‘demonstrations may become violent. The police response has included use of tear gas and water cannons.’
In response to the escalation in tensions, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has recommended British tourists who are currently in the country or visiting in the coming days to monitor local media, plan ahead, and avoid crowds and demonstrations.
The FCDO strongly advises all UK holidaymakers in Turkey to ‘avoid all demonstrations and leave the area if one develops. Local transport routes may be disrupted.’
The government body also warns: ‘FCDO advises against all travel within 10km of the Turkey-Syria border.’
Demonstrations began erupting in the holiday hotspot after Turkish opposition politician, Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rivals, was jailed after being arrested on corruption charges last week.
He had been due to be formally nominated as the Republican People’s Party (CHP) 2028 presidential nominee in a vote on Sunday.
On Monday, the Foreign Office warned travellers about the ongoing demonstrations in Istanbul and other Turkish cities
The arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rivals, and over 100 other people sparked some of the largest protests in Turkey for decades
People shout slogans next to anti riot police officers during a protest after Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 24
Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the CHP should stop ‘provoking’ citizens
The arrest of Imamoglu, 54, and more than 100 other people has sparked some of the largest protests in Turkey for decades.
But the demonstrations have quickly turned violent with footage showing clashes between protestors and riot police before crowds swarmed through the city after police were left overwhelmed by the scale of the demonstration.
Despite efforts from Erdogan’s government to ban the gatherings and the use of water cannons, they have failed to deter the protesters who have taken to the streets for over five nights in a row.
The president has since dubbed the protests a ‘movement of violence’ and vowed that the main opposition party will be held accountable for injured police officers and damage to property.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan said the CHP should stop ‘provoking’ citizens.
‘As a nation, we followed with surprise the events that emerged after the main opposition leader’s call to take to the streets following an Istanbul-based corruption operation turned into a movement of violence,’ the 71-year-old president said.
‘The main opposition is responsible for our (injured) police officers, the broken windows of our shopkeepers and the damaged public property. They will be held accountable for all this, politically in parliament and legally by the judiciary.’
Earlier, interior minister Ali Yerlikaya accused some protesters of ‘terrorising’ the streets and threatening national security.
Demonstrations began erupting in the holiday hotspot after Imamoglu was jailed after being arrested on corruption charges last week
Despite efforts from Erdogan’s government to ban the gatherings and the use of water cannons, they have failed to deter the protesters who have taken to the streets for over five nights in a row
People take part in a protest against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a corruption investigation, in Istanbul, Turkey, March 24
Turkish riot police detain a protestor during a protest against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Ankara, Turkey, 24 March 2025
The Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the main challenger in the next presidential election, was jailed on corruption charges
He said 1,133 people had been detained during five days of protests and that 123 police officers had been injured.
On Sunday Imamoglu was formally arrested and charged with ‘establishing and managing a criminal organisation, taking bribes, extortion, unlawfully recording personal data and rigging a tender’.
He will remain in custody until his trial.
According to Turkey’s interior ministry, he has also been suspended from his democratically elected post as Mayor.
A defiant Imamoglu took to social media to criticise his arrest as a ‘black stain on our democracy’ and claim that Turkey has had ‘enough’ of Erdogan.
Imamoglu’s arrest does not prevent his candidacy and election as president, but if he is convicted of any of the charges against him, he will not be able to run.
The popular politician beat the ruling AKP party to win Istanbul’s mayoral election in 2019.
This was hailed as a historic result at the time due to Erdogan’s party having controlled the city of 16million for a quarter-century.
Fireworks thrown by protesters explode next to riot police during a protest after Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison
The arrest have sparked the country’s largest wave of demonstrations since the 2013 Gezi Park protests
People shout slogans next to anti riot police officers during a protest in Istanbul
Some 1,133 people have been detained during five days of protests and 123 police officers have been injured
The party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city, alleging irregularities which resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu won comfortably.
The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which his party made significant gains against Erdogan’s party.
CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel told reporters in Istanbul on Thursday, following the arrests, that Erdogan was straying from democracy with the detentions.
‘Democracy was a train, and Tayyip Erdogan only boarded it as long as it suited him. Now, he has stepped off that train and joined the ranks of the coup plotters,’ he said.
Erdogan, a populist with increasingly authoritarian tendencies, has led Turkey as prime minister or president for more than 20 years.
He is now the longest-serving leader in the Turkish republic’s history.
His current term runs until 2028 but he has indicated he’d like to serve longer, perhaps attainable with the backing of a friendly parliament.
But support for the president among voters is waning, and remains particularly low in Istanbul.
