Image edited by Global Voices. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan n.d., Photo: Fotos Públicas. Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels April 03, Photo: ucrania@vonderleyen/Fotos Públicas. Elon Musk in Washington, D.C January 12, Photo: RS/Fotos Públicas. Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. April 09, Photo: Daniel Torok/White.
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On March 19, 2025, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained along with around 105 other municipal officials and politicians on the alleged crimes of corruption and aiding a terrorist organisation, in what Human Rights Watch has called an attempt to suppress legitimate political engagement. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office decision came just days before İmamoğlu was expected to win the primary election of Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, CHP), to run against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the next presidential elections to be held no later than May 7, 2028.
President Erdoğan's representatives promptly tried to clarify that the criminal investigations against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu were not politically motivated, claiming effective rule of law. Hours after the arrest, Turkey's Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc made a press statement about the actions of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, where he said that “the rule of law is essential” and that “attempting to associate judicial investigations and cases with our president is, to say the least, an act of audacity and irresponsibility.”
On the day of the detention of the Istanbul mayor, massive protests erupted, with demonstrators gathering in the streets, on university campuses, and even in subway stations, loudly voicing anti-government slogans — an expression of public outrage not witnessed in recent years. Since then, the protestors have taken to the streets not only to object to the mayor's arrests but to voice their concerns about the erosion of rights and freedoms in Turkey, as well as the ongoing economic crisis. The security forces have responded to the rallies using teargas, water cannons, and pepper spray — all classified by Human Rights Watch as “unwarranted and unlawful use of police force,” — and detaining hundreds.
Turkey's government's latest authoritarian move is being perceived by many as a significant escalation of the already questionable autocratic practices carried out by President Erdoğan.
Narrative: Erdoğan’s totalitarian pivot is emboldened by Trump and tolerated by the EU
People who communicate this narrative frame consider that President Erdoğan's move to arrest Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was made possible by the return of Donald Trump to power in the United States and by the erosion of European values underlying the European Union's “pragmatic” cooperation with President Erdoğan. Those asserting it see the strong return of Donald Trump, swamped with authoritarian patterns, as an indirect factor that gives further confidence to authoritarian leaders to maintain their practices.
Turkey's relationship with the United States is partly shaped by their mutual interest in “Syria's stability.” Syria's uncertain future, after the collapse of the country's once ruthless and seemingly unshakable regime, has drawn intense interest from Israel, Turkey, and the United States — each viewing the power vacuum as a chance to further their specific regional ambitions. Additionally, Erdoğan has positioned himself as a key ally in Trump's attempts to broker peace in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Turkey's relationship with the European Union is marked by stalled negotiations around Turkey's possibility of joining the supranational political and economic union and a controversial yet “technically effective” migration agreement signed in 2016.
The 2016 EU–Turkey migration deal, created in response to the 2015 refugee crisis, has become a significant leverage point. This agreement aims to reduce the flow of migrants into Europe, mainly via Greece, by proposing that “for every Syrian being returned to Turkey from Greek islands, another Syrian will be resettled from Turkey to the EU taking into account the UN Vulnerability Criteria.” However, humanitarian and human rights groups like MSF and Amnesty International have opposed the deal since its inception, arguing that it prioritizes stopping migration over protecting human lives.
Turkey also holds a vital position in the global grain trade as a key transit hub. It serves as a pivotal gateway for grain movement between Europe and Asia, allowing the country to help secure the export of essential food supplies through the Black Sea from Ukraine to the rest of the world. Likewise, Turkey is rapidly becoming a vital potential partner in reshaping European security, diplomats and analysts say, as Europe seeks to reinforce its defense capabilities and secure guarantees for Ukraine in the face of a potential ceasefire agreement encouraged by the United States.
How this narrative is asserted online
This X item embeds a video statement by Özgür Özel, the current leader of Turkey's main opposition party, CHP, angrily denouncing the European Union's perceived support for President Erdoğan as hypocritical and self-defeating. The statement was given at a party event on March 31.
The author of the X post is a Turkish literary author writing under a pseudonym, who has published four books on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (the founder of the modern Turkish state and the CHP).
In the video, Özel paraphrased a Martin Luther King quote in saying “Turkey will remember the silence of its friends more than the voices of its enemies,” referring to what he considers a complicit behavior from the European Union in not reacting to President Erdoğan's authoritarian escalation.
The item received 23 quote posts, 102 comments, 659 reposts, 7.7k likes, and 148 bookmarks. It was ranked +1 as it evidences and criticizes the hypocritical and undemocratic cooperation of the European Union with the escalating authoritarianism of President Erdoğan's government.
Narrative: Elon Musk is supporting totalitarianism in Turkey by censoring opposition accounts on X
Elon Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter (now called X), initially framed as promoting free speech, led to significant user migration and controversy. His policies and promotion of divisive narratives increased polarization and disinformation, and despite his stated intentions, he later enforced speech restrictions on the platform.
X's censorship practices didn't start with Musk's acquisition. Turkey became the platform's leading censorship country in the world after the Gezi Park protests between May and August 2013. During those months, the platform played a historic role and was used to expose government corruption, to the extent that Erdoğan vowed to eradicate the platform in the following year.
In 2023, Elon Musk faced criticism for restricting content before Turkey's elections. Later that year, Turkey imposed an ad ban on X, which was lifted in May 2024 after the company met local requirements by setting up an office and appointing a representative.
Musk's business dealings with the Turkish government may have played a role in his acquiescence to their demands — in September 2021, his other company SpaceX signed a deal to launch Turkey's first domestically produced satellite. In September 2023, President Erdoğan invited Musk to open a Tesla factory.
In March 2025, amid protests after the detention of the Istanbul mayor, the platform suspended multiple accounts of opposition figures in Turkey.
How this narrative is shared online
This X item compares the platform’s historical significance in expressing, organizing, and reporting on the Gezi Park protests in 2013 with censorship under Elon Musk, at the behest of the Erdoğan government.
The slogan featured on the placard in the photo attached to the post comes from a Gil Scott-Heron song from 1970 that transcended its original Vietnam War era cultural frame to become an enduring anti-capitalist and anti-war anthem through the decades.
AFP photographer Kemal Aslan took the photo in Istanbul on March 23, 2025.
The item received 2 comments, 5 reposts, 49 likes, and 4 bookmarks. It ranked +1, despite the item's low engagement, as it connects the present struggle of the Turkish youth to the Gezi Park protest movement, reaffirming the same social demands.
