Turkey protests: Pikachu spotted fleeing police crackdown | Watch

The demonstrations began last week following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Police used pepper spray, plastic pellets, and water cannon against protesters in Turkey’s capital early Thursday, the latest clash in the country’s biggest anti-government protests in over a decade. The demonstrations began last week following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Imamoglu was jailed pending trial on corruption charges many see as politically motivated and is also accused of supporting terrorism. The government insists the judiciary is independent, but critics say the evidence is based on secret witnesses and lacks credibility.

Meanwhile, in a video that has gone viral, someone in a Pikachu costume was seen fleeing alongside anti-Erdoğan protesters.

BREAKING: Pikachu has joined the anti-Erdogan uprising pic.twitter.com/LAmMQb6KgO
NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 27, 2025

Early Thursday, student demonstrators tried to march and gathered to read a statement near the gates at Middle East Technical University, pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV and local media reported. They were met by security forces who deployed pepper spray, water cannon and plastic pellets. A standoff ensued where the students hid behind a barricade of dumpsters until the police charged to detain them.

Melih Meric, a legislator with Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party or CHP, was seen soaked with water and suffering from pepper spray exposure.

“My student friends only wanted to make a press statement, but the police strictly did not allow it, this is the result,” Meric said in social media videos.

Interior Minister Ali Yerkikaya said Thursday that nearly 1,900 people have been arrested over eight days of massive protests across the country. He said that 1,879 suspects were detained, including 260 who were jailed pending trial. A further 468 were released under judicial control while their cases continue. Proceedings are ongoing for 662 other people.

Demonstrations involving hundreds of thousands of largely peaceful protesters have swept across major cities, including opposition-organized rallies outside Istanbul City Hall. Other major protests have been held in Istanbul’s districts of Kadikoy and Sisli districts in recent days.

Imamoglu, the Istanbul mayor, was detained in a dawn raid on his home last Wednesday and later remanded to prison. He faces charges stemming from two investigations into the opposition-controlled Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality — a corruption case and one alleging support for terrorism.

The mayor is the main challenger to Erdogan in an election currently scheduled for 2028 but which is likely to take place earlier.

*With Inputs from AP