Brawl Erupts in Istanbul Council Over Crackdown on Opposition Mayors

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The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality witnessed chaotic scenes on Monday, November 11, as tensions between councillors from Turkey’s two largest political parties erupted into a physical altercation during a City Council meeting.

The incident began when the chairman of the council refused to grant the floor to a councillor from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AKP party. The situation quickly escalated, with councillors from the AKP and Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) trading punches and kicks, while water bottles were hurled across the chamber.

This dramatic clash comes amid heightened tensions following the Turkish government’s removal of opposition mayors on allegations of links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Among those dismissed was Ahmet Özer, the mayor of Esenyurt, a district under İmamoğlu’s administration.

The government’s actions, which also included the dismissal of three other mayors from the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP), have drawn sharp criticism from the opposition. They allege these moves are a precursor to an attempt to unseat İmamoğlu himself, who faces legal challenges with a pending conviction under appeal.

The volatile political climate in Istanbul includes accusations of political suppression and concerns over democratic backsliding intensifying in the lead-up to future elections.