On 24 March at 7:30 pm, Turkish students and members of the public assembled in Brunswick Park to demonstrate against the recent arrest of the Istanbul Mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, in Türkiye.
The protest was part of a global movement responding to recent events in Türkiye. On 19 March, İmamoğlu and several other mayors were arrested in what Turkish citizens describe as a “politically motivated attack on democracy”.
The arrests sparked mass protests across Türkiye with “tens of thousands” taking to the streets. An estimated 1,100 have been arrested (at the time of writing) across the country in what has been described as “anti-government protests”.
A WhatsApp group coordinating the march had around 300 participants as of 24 March. Estimated numbers of the demonstration suggest at least 100 people were in attendance.
Starting at Brunswick Park around 7:30pm, supporters gathered outside of the Simon Building with flags, banners and cardboard signs.
Before moving up the Oxford Road, to St Peters Square, a speaker addressed the crowd in Turkish.
“Our hope lies in our own strength” seemed to be the sentiment of the event, with a focus on “the struggle for democracy”. The evenings speaker expressed that “together, we will win the future”.
Whilst the organisation committee was made up mostly of students, members of the public also turned up to express their support.
Speaking to The Mancunion, organisers described the aim of the march as “focused on shared democratic principles rather than party politics.”
Discussing the student involvement “As young people living abroad, we believe it’s important to use our voices to support those who are being silenced,”.
A similar statement was echoed at the demonstration “as young people living in Manchester, we refuse to remain silent in the face of this injustice.”
“We oppose the disregard for the electoral will, the politicization of the judiciary, and the silencing of the people’s voice.” the organisers stated.
Attendants were informed that there was a police escort for the march “for our safety”. This included a van bringing up the rear and a police car holding up road traffic at the front.
One of the recurrent chants of the evening was a popular Türkiye protest slogan “Zipla, Zipla, Ziplamayan…!” which roughly translates to “Jump, Jump, those who don’t jump are…!” (meaning ‘whoever doesn’t jump supports Tayyip’). This was then accompanied by the crowd all jumping on the spot, causing excitement in the crowd.
Standing in St Peter’s Square at the end of the event, marchers sung ‘Ciao Bella’ and cheered before the demonstration came to an end. The atmosphere was one of excitement and community, bringing together Turkish supporters from across Manchester.
One of the organisers, speaking to The Mancunion, said:
“We are a committee of six Turkish people, most of us university students, who came together to organise this protest. It began as a citizen-led initiative, formed independently by individuals who care deeply about justice, democracy, and freedom of expression in Türkiye.”
Among the crowd were members of left-wing student societies, some of whom had affiliations with the protest’s organisers. A spokesperson for Manchester Socialist Students voiced their support for the demonstration, stating:
“[We] condemn Erdoğan’s undemocratic attacks on basic human rights. The youth, workers, and trade unions in Türkiye desperately need political representation – a new mass workers’ party – as we do here in Britain and around the world. Socialism is the only answer to corruption, war, and austerity.”
The official statement, read aloud during the event, condemned the suppression of opposition voices in Türkiye and praised the resilience of those resisting authoritarian measures.
Among the protesters was a first-year Turkish student who expressed hope that the demonstrations would inspire long-term political change.
“The only thing I hope for is that the instinctual reaction taken against oppression today may evolve into organisations whose doctrine seeks to dismantle Türkiye’s root political problems tomorrow – not just for the ruling party, but for the inefficient reactionaries as well.”
With growing international attention on Türkiye’s political crisis, protesters in Manchester hope their voices will contribute to global pressure for democratic integrity.
* Quotes have either been translated from Turkish or English translation of speeches was provided. Translations have attempted to keep the original meaning whilst conveying the sentiment clearly.
