Protester dressed as Pikachu flees from police during Turkey protests, video goes viral

The protests erupted following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a prominent political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A protester dressed as Pikachu has become an unexpected symbol of the ongoing political turmoil in Turkey, after being captured on video fleeing from security forces amid clashes between demonstrators and the police. The moment, which showed the costumed individual running as water cannons were deployed, quickly went viral on social media, drawing widespread attention.

The protests erupted following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a prominent political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Imamoglu was detained on Sunday and jailed pending trial on corruption and terrorism-related charges. His arrest has triggered the most significant wave of anti-government demonstrations in Turkey in over a decade, with mass protests, violent clashes, and widespread detentions unfolding across the country.

Since the protests began last Wednesday, Turkish authorities have detained around 1,900 demonstrators. According to official figures, at least 250 people have been jailed, while 489 have been released. Meanwhile, 662 individuals remain in custody, awaiting further legal proceedings. Clashes between protesters and police have left at least 150 officers injured.

Imamoglu, along with 90 others, is facing allegations of corruption and alleged ties to terrorist groups. His supporters claim the charges are politically motivated and part of a broader crackdown to neutralise Erdogan’s strongest opposition figure ahead of future elections.

The protest against Erdogan pic.twitter.com/OzR2vwTyNJ
Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 27, 2025

Against the backdrop of escalating tensions, the image of a protester dressed as Pikachu running from security forces has become an emblem of the surreal nature of the crisis. The footage, captured in Antalya in the early hours of Thursday, showed the costumed demonstrator running alongside protesters before being dispersed by police.

The video was shared online by Ismail Kocerglu and quickly gained traction. Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) referenced the footage in a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Even Pikachu is affected by pepper spray.”

Unbelievable scenes from the anti Erdogan protests last night pic.twitter.com/dAFpHeLrCVOpen Source Intel (@Osint613) March 27, 2025

Meanwhile, another widely shared image on social media purportedly showed individuals dressed as Batman, Joker, and Spider-Man participating in the protests. However, many users speculated that the image was AI-generated. Moneycontrol.com has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the picture.