Erdogan Angry, Considers Demonstrations Of Protests Against The Detention Of The Mayor Of Istanbul A 'Violence Movement'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan/PHOTO via Instagram @rterdogan

JAKARTA - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said protest demonstrations over the imprisonment of Istanbul's mayor turned into a "violent movement".

Erdogan said the main opposition party would be held accountable for injured police officers and property damage.

The detention of the Mayor of Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan's main political competitor, last Wednesday has sparked the biggest street protests in Turkey in more than a decade. On Sunday, the court jailed him, pending trial, on corruption charges he denies.

Despite the ban on gathering on roads in many cities, largely peaceful anti-government demonstrations continued for five consecutive nights on Sunday, with hundreds of thousands of people participating and opposition party Immoglu, Republican People's Party (CHP), calling for national protests to continue.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan said the CHP should stop "provocational" residents.

Erdogan said their "pointments" would eventually end and they would feel ashamed of the "crimes" they have committed against the country.

Earlier, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikiaya accused protesters of "terrorizing" the streets and threatening national security. He said 1,133 people had been detained for five days of protests and 123 police officers had been injured. The CHP said the arrest of Immoglu was politically motivated and undemocratic. The Erdogan government denied this statement and said the Turkish court was independent.