The 19 March arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, a well-known political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has led to days of street protests, hundreds of citizens being detained and the arrest and deportation of foreign journalists from the Anatolian republic, raising questions about how safe Türkiye is for visitors now.
Erdogan cannot run for presidency again in 2028’s elections, after two decades in power unless he changes Türkiye’s constitution, but many see the detention of his popular adversary Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges as an attempted power grab. As a result, pro-democracy demonstrators have gathered en masse in cities across the country, filling streets and parks, brandishing flags and placards, and chanting for “Rights, law, justice!”
People in Turkey are rising up in protest against Erdogan…
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) March 22, 2025
And Elon Musk is suspending accounts to help shield him.
Free speech absolutist, my arse. pic.twitter.com/3nNdpufeBl
Outbreaks of violence and mass arrests
While The Independent calls the protests “largely peaceful”, the uprising has turned violent in places, with water cannons, tear gas, pepper spray, and plastic bullets deployed by riot police against protestors in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Demonstrators have responded with fireworks, missiles and other projectiles. Nearly 2000 arrests have been made and over 100 police have been injured.
Türkiye is a popular holiday destination thanks to its warm climate, Mediterranean, Aegean, Black Sea, Marmara Sea coastlines, vibrant and ancient culture, and gastronomy. The UK is one of its top source markets for tourism, sending 4.4 million British visitors out of a total 62.3 million in 2024, an increase of 16.6% year-on-year.
But in an update to its travel advisory for country made six days after Imamoglu’s arrest, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) has warned that “Demonstrations and protests are currently taking place in Istanbul and other cities across Turkey. Demonstrations may become violent. The police response has included use of tear gas and water cannons.”
In addition to long-standing terrorism warnings for certain areas of the country, especially near the Syrian border and in the southeast, the advice now tells visitors to “monitor local media, plan ahead to avoid disruption, and avoid crowds and demonstrations.”
Bans on gatherings and transport disruption
Germany, also in the top three source nations for Turkish tourism (alongside Russia), has also highlighted the deteriorating security situation in advice from its Federal Foreign Office. “In Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, and other cities, political protests and bans on public gatherings are currently leading to closures of roads, subway stations, and public transport disruptions. It is currently unclear how long these restrictions will last,” the German guidance says, echoing UK calls to keep abreast of the “current situation and possible restrictions” and to avoid large gatherings and “be extremely careful in their vicinity.”
Germany warns its citizens that they must always carry ID and that participating in protests even in Germany can “be grounds for arrest, travel bans, or refusal of entry” in Türkiye, though this refers mainly to actions in relation to Kurdish independence.
