Who’s that protester? It’s Pikachu!
A demonstrator in a Pikachu costume joined thousands of protesters who took to the streets to express outrage over the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor — who is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s biggest political rival.
The Pokemon-themed activist was seen marching, and then later fleeing when police officers and water cannons rushed in to disperse the crowd.
Nearly 1,900 people have been arrested so far, officials said.
The arrest of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu last week has sparked national outcry. He has denied the charges of corruption that were levied against him after he was named the presidential candidate for the Republican People’s Party for the 2028 election challenging Erdogan.
The protesters maintain that Imamoglu’s arrest was politically motivated, but Erdogan slammed the demonstrators as “evil” agents who are “disturbing the peace.”
Turkey has begun a major crackdown on the demonstrations, with officials also deporting BBC reporter Mark Lowen on Thursday following his on-the-ground coverage of the unrest in Istanbul.
Turkish officials accused Lowen of “being a threat to public order,” taking him into custody on Wednesday and preparing him for deportation 17 hours later.
To be detained and deported from the country where I previously lived for five years and for which I have such affection has been extremely distressing,” Lowen told the BCC. “Press freedom and impartial reporting are fundamental to any democracy.”
Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC’s News Department, condemned Lowen’s deportation and said the move was a troubling sign of what’s happening in Turkey.
“Mark is a very experienced correspondent with a deep knowledge of Turkey and no journalist should face this kind of treatment simply for doing their job,” Turness said. “We will continue to report impartially and fairly on events in Turkey.”
Along with Lowen, seven Turkish reporters have also been arrested while covering the protests, as well as a photojournalist for the French news agency Agence France Presse.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 1,878 people have been arrested since the protests began last Wednesday, with only 489 released so far.
Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc maintains that Imamoglu was arrested based on the gravity of the corruption allegations levied against him and not due to politics.
Tunc also denied that Turkey jails reporters for their coverage, despite the arrest of the eight reporters, who were subsequently released.
Reporters Without Borders, a free speech advocacy group, ranks Turkey 158th out of 180 countries in 2024 Press Freedom Index, alleging that the government directly influences 90% of all media outlets.
With Post wires
