Turkey's youth rise up over mayor's jailing and worsening economy

International report

Thousands of young people across Turkey are protesting against the jailing of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival. Many say they no longer fear prison, claiming they have nothing left to lose.

University students were among the first to take to the streets after Imamoglu was detained last month. They believe his arrest was politically motivated, though the government denies this.

“We are all sick and tired of the oppression that has been going on for such a while, and we are all fed up with it,” said an Istanbul university student who did not want to be named for fear of retribution.

“All these things that happened to Ekrem Imamoglu and all the other political people that are sent to jail, we are just fed up. We can't take it anymore, so we are here to protest against the government.”

For another student, the protests go beyond Imamoglu’s case.

“Everyone realises that it is not just a problem about Ekrem Imamoglu. We have a lot of problems in our country because of the economy, the inflation, because of the justice, because of the femicide, we have a lot of problems with our country,” she said.

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Youth defy fear of arrest

The protests are the largest seen against Erdogan’s government in more than 10 years.

Until now, political apathy, a weak opposition and a harsh crackdown on dissent have left few willing to challenge Erdogan’s AK Party. But the country’s youth are emerging as a key force for change.

“They were really the ones that carried the first protests, they were the vanguards,” said Sezin Oney, a political commentator with Halk TV.

Oney said many young people are losing hope due to widespread nepotism and corruption.

“If you are not connected to somebody, even if you get the best education, then it does not matter; you have to have connections; this is how they are feeling," she said.

"They are striving for certain values; they are describing it as something that has to do with justice, with democracy, everything this government doesn't represent."

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Economy in free fall

Turkey’s youth have grown up in a country where 90 percent of the media is controlled by the state or its allies, and schools are designed to produce what Erdogan once called a loyal, pious generation.

But that goal seems out of reach. “An overwhelming majority of the young people right now in Turkey prefer a pluralistic democratic system to a one-man strong system,” said Can Selcuki, head of Istanbul Economics Research, a polling firm.

Selcuki said the sharp divides between secular and religious youth, once used by Erdogan to hold onto power, are fading as shared economic problems take centre stage. Turkey faces double-digit inflation and high youth unemployment.

“As the economy is spiralling down, these young people find more common denominators in this worsening economy, making identity leverages disappear,” said Selcuki.

“So the bad situation of the economy is bringing these young people together in a more socio-economic level, from a more class perspective.”

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Crackdown on dissent widens

The unrest has now spread to high schools, after the government decided to redeploy tens of thousands of teachers. Pupils in schools across the country have staged rare protests.

Erdogan has reportedly asked his party to investigate the causes of the growing discontent.

For now, the government is vowing to crack down. Court cases have begun against hundreds of protestors, most of them students, with prosecutors seeking up to three-year prison terms.

Many detainees say they were beaten in custody, which authorities deny.

New laws are also being discussed to curb further unrest. “There is a new crime they (the government) are trying to formulate, ‘disturbing the public order.’ When you create this crime, then you can arrest basically anyone,” said Oney.

“But I don't think it will succeed. The thing is especially the youth is thinking they have nothing to lose, they have reached their tipping point. There will be more arrests and more protests, it will be a vicious cycle, unfortunately.”

Turkey is already seeing record numbers of highly educated people leave the country, but many young protestors say leaving is not an option. For them, staying and resisting is the only choice they have left.