Protesters were to join a mass rally in Istanbul Saturday at the call of Turkey's main opposition CHP over the jailing of the city's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a top figure in the party whose arrest has

Turkey's justice minister said on Thursday the decision to arrest Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was based on criminal reports and not linked to the timing of the opposition CHP party's selection of Imamoglu as its presidential candidate.

Built as Byzantium, and then renamed Constantinople, Istanbul officially received its present name on this day in 1930.

Istanbul residents make noise in a show of solidarity with protesters angered by the arrest of the city's mayor:: March 27, 2025People stood by their windows and made loud noises with kitchenware as marching protesters passed through the area.

Turkish authorities have detained at least three journalists and an Istanbul district official amid an ongoing crackdown on protests against the jailing of key opposition politician Ekrem İmamoğlu, media reported on Friday.

The Istanbul protests exemplify 21st-century resistance, where absurdist humour disarms state repression, hyperreality reconfigures political meaning and cognitive warfare exploits digital virality. Baudrillard might see this as the triumph of simulation, where the protest’s image matters more than its reality.