Trending Now - Turkish Police Clash With Opposition Party Amid Leadership Dispute
WHO:
CNN - The main opposition party in Turkey is the Republican Peoples’ Party (CHP).
AP News - Özgür Özel was elected as party chairperson in November 2023.
AP News - Kemal Kilicdaroglu is the predecessor of Özgür Özel and led the CHP for 13 years.
AP News - Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a CHP member, has been imprisoned since March last year.
WHAT:
CNN - Ozel stated, “We are leaving (the building) now only to reclaim it in a way no one will be able to interfere again. When we return neither this administration nor the administration’s collaborators will dare do this again.”
AP News - Ozel posted a 3-minute video on social media immediately after the raid began, in which he said, “We are under attack. Our crime? To make our party Turkey’s number one party after 47 years. Our crime? Defeating the Justice and Development Party.”
CNN - Ozel stated, “We are under attack. Our crime? To make our party Turkey’s number one party after 47 years. Our crime? Defeating the Justice and Development Party.”
AP News - Ozel said, “We will resist here till the end. And if they forcibly remove us, we’ll resume our march towards (becoming) the administration in the public square.”
AP News - The police raid occurred at the start of a nine-day holiday for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.
CNN - Police stormed the offices of the CHP, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at supporters and officials.
AP News - The police raid ended a standoff that lasted for three days.
AP News - Ozel stated, “We are leaving (the building) now only to reclaim it in a way no one will be able to interfere again.”
AP News - Ozel and his supporters began marching toward Parliament, which is over 5 kilometers (3 miles) away from the CHP headquarters.
AP News - The court ruling nullified Ozel’s election and suspended him and members of the party’s executive board.
WHERE:
CNN - The events took place at the CHP headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.
AP News - The police raid occurred in the courtyard and inside the CHP building.
WHEN:
CNN - The police stormed the CHP offices on a Sunday.
AP News - The appeals court ruling that nullified Ozel’s election occurred on a Thursday.
AP News - The next presidential election is due in 2028.
WHY:
CNN - The opposition claims the decision to nullify Ozel’s election was politically motivated to weaken the party as it struggles under waves of legal cases targeting its members and elected officials.
CNN - The opposition claims the court decision was politically motivated to weaken the CHP amid legal cases targeting its members.
AP News - Observers believe the legal cases against the CHP are aimed at neutralizing the party ahead of the next election.
HOW:
NBC News - Police forcibly took control of the headquarters of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People's Party in Ankara, using tear gas and rubber bullets to remove Özel and his supporters after he refused to leave the building.
AP News - Supporters initially attempted to resist the police by spraying them with fire extinguishers, but were quickly stopped. Doors, furniture, and the ground floor windows were destroyed during the police raid.
CNN - Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd outside the CHP offices.
AP News - Supporters initially resisted police by spraying them with fire extinguishers.
(UPDATED May 25, 2026 01:35 UTC)
In a dramatic turn of events, police have forcibly taken control of the headquarters of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People's Party in Ankara, using tear gas and rubber bullets to remove Özel and his supporters after he refused to leave the building. Özel stated in a video posted on social media during the raid that they are under attack for making their party Turkey’s number one party after 47 years and for defeating the Justice and Development Party. He vowed that they are leaving the building only to reclaim it in a way that will prevent any future interference from the current administration or its collaborators.
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(UPDATED May 24, 2026 19:17 UTC)
In a dramatic turn of events, Ozel declared that his party is under attack for becoming Turkey's leading political force after 47 years and for defeating the Justice and Development Party. He vowed to resist until the end, stating that if they are forcibly removed, they will continue their march towards public administration. The police raid, which coincided with the start of a nine-day holiday for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, saw supporters attempting to fend off officers with fire extinguishers, but the situation escalated, resulting in significant damage to the premises.
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(UPDATED May 24, 2026 17:17 UTC)
In a dramatic turn of events at the Republican Peoples’ Party headquarters in Ankara, Turkey, police stormed the building, using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters and officials. This raid followed a court ruling that nullified Özgür Özel's election as party chairperson and suspended him along with the executive board, a decision many believe was politically motivated to undermine the CHP ahead of the upcoming presidential election in 2028. Özel and his supporters have vowed to reclaim their headquarters, marching toward Parliament after a three-day standoff, stating, “We are leaving (the building) now only to reclaim it in a way no one will be able to interfere again.”