Shopping Boycott and Media Censorship Amid Turkey Protests

Turkey arrested 11 people Thursday for supporting a one-day shopping boycott as protests continue in the country following last month’s arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Associated Press reported.

The university students who have been leading the protests invited Turkish businesses to stay closed and people not to spend money on Wednesday, declaring it an economic boycott day. Some shopkeepers in Istanbul and the capital Ankara kept their stores closed in solidarity, while some cafes opened but urged customers to bring their own food and drinks, according to Al-Monitor.

Turkish officials condemned the boycott calls and accused the supporters of trying to weaken the government.

Turkey has been grappling with large anti-government demonstrations since last month after the jailing of İmamoğlu on March 19 on corruption and terrorism charges. The opposition politician has denied the allegations, with critics saying the charges are politically motivated and a ruse to keep Istanbul’s mayor out of the next presidential run.

However, Turkey’s government insists the courts are independent entities.

Even if in prison, İmamoğlu has been confirmed as the presidential candidate of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). If convicted, he would not be able to legally run in the elections that are scheduled for 2028 but that are likely to take place earlier.

Since İmamoğlu’s arrest, some 2,000 people have been detained, with 316 pending trial. Most face charges related to their participation in the protests, which Erdoğan has labeled as a “movement of violence” and illegal.

Istanbul prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into previous boycotts called by the CHP of certain companies allegedly tied to the government, particularly media firms that did not air the demonstrations where hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to call for İmamoğlu’s release.

Turkish authorities have also been restricting Internet access, specifically to social media platforms, including Facebook, X, and TikTok, to prevent the already very large demonstrations from growing even further.

Last week, the Turkish government issued a 10-day broadcasting ban to one opposition channel while also fining and suspending others, Euronews noted.

Turkey also fined tech company Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, a “substantial” amount for refusing to limit content and social media accounts sharing information about the protests as requested by Turkish authorities, Politico reported. Meta declined to specify which agency imposed the fines and the exact amount expected.

Differently, Elon Musk’s social media platform X largely complied with Turkey’s requests and agreed to suspend accounts run by journalists and opposition figures.