Turkish President Recep Tayeb Erdogan warned that his country won't succumb to what he described as "street terror", days after unrest erupted in Istanbul following the arrest of the opposition's Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. 

"Turkey will not surrender to street terror," Erdogan said, as the leader of the main opposition CHP called for nationwide protests later on Friday over a move it has denounced as a "coup," creating a tense political atmosphere. "Let me say it loud and clear: the street protests that the CHP leader has called for are a dead end," Erdogan added.

Meanwhile, the governor of Istanbul closed off the Galata and Ataturk bridges, the main routes to City Hall, as thousands of protesters defied the protest ban declared in Istanbul and later expanded to include Ankara and Izmir.

Erdogan's statements follow the eruption of nation-wide protests in at least 32 out of Turkiye's 81 provinces, after the opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested on corruption charges. 

Protests erupt in Turkiye

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Istanbul, Ankara, Trabzon, and Izmir calling for the resignation of the current president Recep Tayeb Erdogan, after the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu on charges of "leading a criminal organization, bribery, tender rigging, and aiding a terrorist group," as reported by CNN Turk on March 19.

On March 20, Erdogan dismissed the protests which are Turkiye's worst in years as "the opposition's drama," however, the Turkish president escalated his rhetoric on Friday, accusing his opposition's leader of "grave responsibility". Özgür Özel, leader of the CHP, vowed that protests will continue in the country on Thursday.

Ozgur Ozel, the CHP leader, previously called the arrest a "coup", stating, "Imamoglu's only crime was that he was taking the lead in opinion polls, his only crime was that he won the hearts of the people. His only crime was he would be the next president."

"From now on, no one should expect CHP to do politics in halls or buildings, we'll be on the streets and in the squares," he told a group of protesters at City Hall.

Restrictions on social media were set on the day of Imamoglu's arrest were lifted on Friday morning, according to EngelliWeb internet access monitor.

So far, 88 protesters have been arrested according to Turkish media, while the Interior Ministry announced on March 20 that 37 people were detained for the alleged posting of "provocative posts inciting crime and hatred" in response to the Istanbul mayor's arrest. 

Authorities in Turkiye identified 261 social media accounts, including 62 based abroad, for sharing "provocative posts" following Imamoglu's arrest, while 105 individuals have already been detained, and Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects.