Protesters have taken to the streets of Turkey’s capital, Ankara, as well as the country’s largest city, Istanbul, demanding the resignation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government over skyrocketing inflation.
On Tuesday evening, protesters marched down the streets of Ankara’s Çankaya neighborhood, where most Turkish government buildings and government institutions are located.
They sang “istifa” (resign) and the name of Erdogan’s ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP). To make louder sounds, many blew whistles or banged on pots and pans.
These protests take place in the midst of an increasing currency crisis. Just this week, the Turkish lira fell from $0.1 to $0.078. This is the biggest slide since 2018.
Erdogan has defended his government’s monetary policy, saying he will not engage in “the game played by those over the currency, interest and price hikes,”He will continue with his own economic plan.
“We will emerge victorious from this war of economic independence with the help of Allah and our people,”Turkish president also added.
Unrest has since spread to Istanbul, which is ruled by the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Erdogan’s opposition on the national level.
One of the videos shared on social media showed riot police clashing with the protesters in the Kurtuluş neighborhood of Istanbul.
The people who took to the streets in Istanbul Kurtuluş are marching with the slogans of the Government Resign, Erdoğan resignation. Taksim Square was shut down by police. 1 dollar = 13.00 Turkish Liras1 euro= 14.36 Turkish Liras #Hükümetİstifapic.twitter.com/Af2olxBJYV
— PARTİZAN Yunanistan (@partizanGreece) November 23, 2021
Istanbul is Turkey’s largest city by far, and has recently seen a series of political clashes between the CHP and the AKP over allegations of corruption and misconduct.
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