Great protest in Hamburg: against repression in Turkey!

in Hamburg, a demonstration against political repression in Turkey took place on March 28, 2025. The event started at 6 p.m. on Jungfernstieg and led over the Gänsemarkt, Dammtorstraße and Stephasplatz to the Turkish Consulate General on Tesdorpfstrasse. The demonstration was organized by Yavuz Fersoglu, the deputy group leader of the left in the Altona district assembly. Around 2,000 participants were expected, and the police warned of traffic disabilities in the areas of the Innenalster, Stephansplatz and Dammtor train station.

The supporters of the demonstration included several political parties, including the Turkish CHP, the DES party, the CDU, the SPD, the Greens, the Left and the German Trade Union Confederation. The main claim of the participants was an end to political repression in Turkey and the protection of fundamental rights. The background of the protests was the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu, a critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

background information on the protests in Turkey

The arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu On March 19, 2023, the trigger for nationwide protests in Turkey, which quickly expanded to dozens of cities. These have been classified as the worst unrest for over a decade. At the time he was arrested, Imamoğlu was shortly before his nomination as a presidential candidate of the Republican People's Party (CHP). He is charged with several charges, including corruption, bribery and management of a criminal organization. Despite his arrest, he was confirmed as a candidate for the election in 2028 on Sunday.

The protests started small, but quickly increased, while the CHP described the arrest as "Putsch against our next president" and called for mobilization. Demonstrations took place in several cities, also where students merged at universities. Most protests were peaceful, but occasionally there were clashes with the police who used water cannons and tear gas. The Turkish authorities had managed to prohibit public meetings, but the protests continued.

The European Commission warns Turkey to protect democratic values ​​in the face of a national repression against opposition, journalists and other people from the entertainment industry. In the months after the arrest İmamoğlus, over 1,100 people were arrested, including at least 10 journalists. President Erdoğan announced that the government would not "surrender" and rejected political motives for the arrest while emphasizing the independence of the judiciary.

For further information on the protests and its origin see the reporting of ndr and bbc