The unfolding events in Turkey following the detention of Istanbul’s elected mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, mark yet another moment of crisis for Turkish democracy. This latest act by Erdoğan’s government is part of a long campaign to dismantle democratic institutions and silence opposition; it is not merely an attack on an individual, but an assault on the fundamental right of the people to determine their own future.

In a blatant, desperate attempt to delegitimise him, İmamoğlu — who defeated the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party) candidate in Istanbul’s mayoral elections three times and was set to become Erdoğan’s rival in the presidential race — has had his diploma annulled. Shortly thereafter, he was taken into custody. Following this, the President of the Istanbul Bar Association and its executive board were dismissed, while dawn raids saw more than 300 people — many of them students — detained across nine provinces. Their only ‘crime’ was to be opposition voices, to speak out, to refuse to stay silent.

No one should be under any illusions: this is not the work of an independent legal system. There is no independent judiciary. Every ruling, every prosecution, every legal decision in Turkey is dictated by a single palace and the man who sits inside it.

That is why Erdoğan’s rule is rightly called the ‘Palace Regime’. The law no longer serves justice — it serves only his power. We need to be clear: when power tramples over the will of the people, when it casts aside legal norms, when it silences those who dare to challenge it, there is only one word for it: a coup. A coup carried out not by rogue generals, but by the ruling AKP regime itself.

Then again, this is not just about İmamoğlu. What is at stake is far greater than the fate of a single politician. This is about the broader movement that has risen in response to his persecution. The AKP has spent years concentrating power in the hands of the few, eroding judicial independence, suppressing dissent, and criminalising political opposition.

Now, with this latest act of repression, the regime seeks to instil fear — to make the people believe there is no alternative, no hope for change. It aims to drive the final nail into the coffin of democracy.

One is reminded of an old fable. A lion approaches a herd of oxen and says, ‘Give me the yellow ox, and I will leave you in peace.’ The herd hesitates, then agrees. But the lion returns, again and again, demanding more. One by one, the oxen are taken — until none remain.

Today, the movement that has risen against the ‘Palace Regime’ is the last ox. If those who believe in democracy do not stand together now, there will be no one left to resist tomorrow.

Turkey has been here before. In the summer of 2013, the Gezi Park protests erupted when the AKP government tried to demolish one of the last green spaces in central Istanbul. What started as a stand against the construction of yet another shopping mall became a nationwide revolt against repression.

Gezi Park still stands in its original place today, and the spirit of the Gezi Resistance never died. It lives on in everyone who refuses to accept a future dictated by authoritarian rule.

Now, though, it is happening again. The people have had enough. Enough of the AKP. Enough of Erdoğan. Enough of the Palace Regime. Across Turkey, students are leading the fightback. On campuses in Istanbul and Ankara, young people are standing up to a regime that offers them nothing but censorship, unemployment, and a stolen future. They know what is at stake. This will be their Gezi.

This is not just a fight for Turkey alone. Across the world, in every country where the Turkish diaspora stands for justice, protests are growing. From Berlin to London, from New York to Paris, people are taking to the streets in solidarity. This is bigger than one country. This is about the global fight against corruption, against authoritarian rule, against those who think they can crush opposition and get away with it.

For too long, there have been concessions. The right to free speech has been chipped away piece by piece. For too long, people have been told to keep quiet, to wait, to be patient.

‘Sometimes,’ as Lenin once wrote, ‘history needs a push.’ Enough: there is no more patience. There is no more silence. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to take to the streets. When the people rise together, no power on earth can stop them. There is no salvation alone! Either all together or none of us!