Riot police in the Turkish city of Izmir used tear gas and water cannon trucks to disperse a rally on Tuesday called by ousted opposition leader Özgür Özel. The demonstration began around midday (0900 GMT) as the country prepared to observe the four-day Eid al-Adha holiday.
Authorities had closed the central Cumhuriyet Square ahead of the event and deployed large numbers of officers to prevent the gathering. Television footage showed demonstrators waving flags and chanting slogans such as “President Özgür, free Turkey!” as police moved in. After police action, the crowd relocated to a nearby site and the protest continued without further clashes; Özel addressed supporters from a bus in Izmir, a city regarded as a stronghold of the secular opposition.
The rally comes amid rising political tensions following a series of confrontations between members of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and a court-appointed leadership. In a separate incident days earlier, police used tear gas to clear and seize the CHP’s Ankara headquarters, removing journalists and ending a prolonged standoff.
Tensions intensified after an appeals court last week annulled Özel’s 2023 election as CHP chair and suspended him and several executive members. The court ordered the return of former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who led the party for 13 years. Özel, 51, is one of the few senior CHP figures not facing detention-related charges.
Observers say the court decisions and police actions are the latest developments in a broader campaign against the CHP since the party’s significant local election gains over President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AKP in 2024.