Utopia Talk / Politics / What an actual dictatorship looks like

Rugian Member	Thu Mar 20 07:46:33 19 March 2025 Protests have erupted in Turkey after authorities detained the mayor of Istanbul, just days before he was due to be selected as a presidential candidate. Ekrem Imamoglu, from the secular Republican People's Party (CHP), is seen as one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strongest political rivals. Prosecutors accused him of corruption and aiding a terrorist group, calling him a "criminal organisation leader suspect". Police detained 100 people - including other politicians, journalists and businessmen - as part of the investigation, and the Istanbul governor's office has imposed four days of restrictions in the city. Imamoglu said online "the will of the people cannot be silenced". Protesters have taken to the streets and university campuses, and in underground stations, with crowds chanting anti-government slogans. It is a display of public anger not seen in years. There were reports of clashes between protesters and police in Turkey's largest city. Footage from Reuters news agency shows police using pepper spray to disperse crowds outside Istanbul University. Thousands of people rallied in the cold in front of the city hall, shouting: "Erdogan, dictator!" and "Imamoglu, you are not alone!" The government has banned public gatherings in Istanbul as part of the four days of restrictions. But more protests are anticipated nationwide as opposition leaders, including Imamoglu's wife, urge people to "raise their voices". Many streets in Istanbul have also been closed to traffic, while some metro lines have also cancelled their services. In a social media video Imamoglu said he filmed while police were outside his home, he vowed to "stand resolute" for the people of Turkey "and all who uphold democracy and justice worldwide". And in a handwritten note posted on his X account after his arrest, he said the people of Turkey would respond to "the lies, the conspiracies and the traps" against him. UK-based internet watchdog Netblocks said on Wednesday Turkey had severely restricted access to social media sites like X, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. A coup against our next president' The arrest comes as part of a major crackdown nationwide in recent months, targeting opposition politicians, municipalities, journalists and figures in the entertainment industry. Following the Istanbul mayor's arrest, concerns over Turkey's shift toward autocracy were expressed on social media, with some calling for an opposition boycott of the upcoming presidential elections, arguing that a fair and democratic vote is no longer possible. Imamoglu's party, the CHP, even condemned the arrests as "a coup against our next president", a sentiment widely echoed by pro-opposition voices. But Turkey's justice minister criticised those who linked Erdogan to the arrests. Yilmaz Tunc said it was "extremely dangerous and wrong" to suggest this was a political move, insisting that nobody was above the law in Turkey. Erdogan and his party have also denied the claims, insisting that Turkey's judiciary is independent. He has been in power for 22 years. Last year, Imamoglu won a second term as Istanbul's mayor, when his CHP party swept local elections there and in Ankara. It was the first time since Erdogan came to power that his party was defeated across the country at the ballot box. The elections were also a personal blow to the president, who grew up in and became mayor of Istanbul on his rise to power. Dozens of police officers were involved in the early-morning raid on Imamoglu's house in Istanbul. The CHP's presidential candidate selection, in which Imamoglu is the only person running, is set to take place on Sunday. Imamoglu's arrest came a day after Istanbul University annulled his degree due to alleged irregularities - a decision which, if upheld, would prevent him from running in presidential elections. According to the Turkish constitution, presidents must have completed higher education to hold office. Imamoglu called that move "legally baseless", adding that universities "must remain independent, free from political interference and dedicated to knowledge". Presidential elections are currently scheduled for 2028. Erdogan cannot currently run for office again, as he is in his second term and previously served as prime minister before that. The only way Erdogan could contest another election would be to change the constitution, or call an early election before his term ends. As well as being accused of extortion and fraud, Imamoglu is also alleged to have aided the PKK. The PKK - or Kurdistan Workers' Party - has waged an insurgency since 1984, and is proscribed as a terrorist group in Turkey, the EU, UK and US. Earlier this month the group announced its decision to lay down arms, following a call from its imprisoned leader, who had engaged in talks with Turkish officials. International reaction to the arrest has been negative, with EU, French and German officials all condemning the arrests. A Council of Europe statement said the detention of Imamoglu "bears all the hallmarks of the pressure on a political figure considered as one of the main candidates in forthcoming presidential elections." The Turkish lira, meanwhile, briefly crashed to an all-time low against the US dollar, as markets reacted poorly to the political uncertainty. While many were shocked to wake up to the news of Imamoglu's arrest, legal pressure on the popular opposition leader is far from new. He has faced multiple investigations and was handed a political ban in December 2022 over allegations of insulting Turkey's electoral board in 2019 - a verdict he appealed, with the final ruling still pending. Additionally, he has been the subject of cases related to alleged tender irregularities during his tenure as mayor of Istanbul's Beylikduzu district. More recently, on 20 January, a new case was filed against him over his criticism of a prosecutor. http://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yren8mxp8o
Rugian Member	Thu Mar 20 07:47:34 Note to UP's leftists: The day Trump pulls a move like this, you are welcome to claim that America has turned over to fascism. Until then though, fuck off.
obaminated Member	Thu Mar 20 09:17:44 Leftists on this sub with still consider trump as bad (they aren't dumb enough to say worse, except tw) as erdogan.
murder Member	Thu Mar 20 09:27:12 "The day Trump pulls a move like this, you are welcome to claim that America has turned over to fascism." Are you retarded? Trump literally tried to overturn an election after he lost.
murder Member	Thu Mar 20 09:31:02 "Leftists on this sub with still consider trump as bad (they aren't dumb enough to say worse, except tw) as erdogan." Are you in a cult? Well lets see ... 1. Have you memory holed Trump's insurrection so deeply that you can make a post like yours or Rugians without realizing that your orange lord pulled something even worse just a little over 4 years ago? If the answer is "yes" then you are in a cult. -
Paramount Member	Thu Mar 20 09:51:15 ” Protests have erupted in Turkey after authorities detained the mayor of Istanbul, just days before he was due to be selected as a presidential candidate.” Similar to what Brussels did in Romania. It’s called democracy, I think.
obaminated Member	Thu Mar 20 10:07:19 "Trump pulled something even worse" Rofl. I take it back, leftists are dumb enough to think trump is worse that erdogan.
murder Member	Thu Mar 20 10:27:22 Did Trump try to overturn the results of the 2020 US Presidential election?
Rugian Member	Thu Mar 20 10:32:59 Not through any illegal means, no.
Forwyn Member	Thu Mar 20 10:35:00 Reminder, Turkey faced an actual violent coup attempt, with tanks and jets, and Erdogan used the following years to brutally eliminate all political dissent. murder says Jan 6 and alternate electors were worse
Rugian Member	Thu Mar 20 10:36:53 Waaaah MAGA did one riot on J6, less than a year after BLM/Antifa did 1,000. And despite being one of the most heavily armed groups in the planet they couldnt even be bothered to bring firearms to their alleged "insurrection." Almost like Trump wasn't trying to lead a couple after all.
Forwyn Member	Thu Mar 20 10:37:47 Reminder, Erdogan is only alive today because a jet pilot couldn't positively identify his private plane. He had him locked and a button push away from a fiery demise. murder says dude's feet on Pelosi's desk was worse
murder Member	Thu Mar 20 11:08:51 "Not through any illegal means, no." He didn't tell the VP to toss the electoral votes of state he lost? By any standard Trump was involved in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the election. You all are so far up Trump's ass that you'll never find your way back out. -
murder Member	Thu Mar 20 11:11:38 "Reminder, Turkey faced an actual violent coup attempt, with tanks and jets, and Erdogan used the following years to brutally eliminate all political dissent." Yeah, when groups attempt to topple a government, consequences follow. I understand that MAGA wouldn't know about that since you all were allowed to avoid consequences. -
murder Member	Thu Mar 20 11:13:32 "Waaaah MAGA did one riot on J6, less than a year after BLM/Antifa did 1,000." "Waaaah I can't tell the difference between looting a Target and storming the Capitol with intent to murder the VP and the Speaker and stop the transfer of power."
murder Member	Thu Mar 20 11:16:01 "Reminder, Erdogan is only alive today because a jet pilot couldn't positively identify his private plane. He had him locked and a button push away from a fiery demise." Erdogan is who Rugian is calling a dictator. You seem confused. -
Forwyn Member	Thu Mar 20 15:05:54 What is to be confused about? He was almost killed in a coup attempt. His subsequent years of using said coup as an excuse to clamp down on dissidents who had nothing to do with it qualify as militant authoritarian. It is, in either case, a good example of an actual coup/insurrection.
tumbleweed the wanderer	Thu Mar 20 15:19:48 Trump is a big fan of Erdogan & yes Trump did try to illegally seize control... there was a detailed indictment of dozens of pages... & many public hearings... not that the cult side was able to read or watch any of it as they'd then have to defend it, no defense EVER given, i wonder why... plus outside of those attempts, he also declared all rules including those in the constitution should be terminated to put him in power (a normal thing to say, right?) he absolutely would do anything any other dictator would do (he's already trying to shut down all opposition media, & trying to silence free speech, & filling all gov't positions w/ loyalists... even his takeover of the Kennedy Center is weird dictator shit)
tumbleweed the wanderer	Thu Mar 20 15:27:57 ...plus doing illegal firings, illegal shuttering of things, etc, much of it going to the courts where he (& Musk) openly stirring hatred toward the judges/courts for making them go through a normal process (more dictator moves)... w/ Musk having massive platform to do so & extremely irresponsibility abusing that power
obaminated Member	Thu Mar 20 19:09:31 What power in the government does musk have?
tumbleweed the wanderer	Thu Mar 20 21:48:06 he's head of DOGE according to Trump (though they lie in court that he isn't, then Trump says again that he is... completely establishing the lie... though who cares, right?) however the power i was referring to above is his Twitter platform where he's helping stoke the anti judicial branch rhetoric you & your cult actively seek dictatorship you don't want either other branch of gov't to have a say in Trump & Musk's efforts (obviously all the DOGE hatcheting is Musk... Trump is a lazy idiot who wouldn't know how to do anything & nothing like it occurred his first term)
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