ISTANBUL: Police used pepper spray inside the Istanbul headquarters of Turkiye’s main opposition party to disperse dozens of party officials Monday, clearing the way for a court-appointed interim chairman to enter the building amid fierce protests over his appointment, party officials said.
Riot police also scuffled with supporters of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, who had assembled at locations close to the offies in defiance of a temporary ban on public gatherings and a police blockade of its local branch.
The police raid came amid an intensifying crackdown on the CHP, including municipalities run by the party, over alleged corruption, which has led to several arrests, including that of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. The deposed mayor is widely regarded as the leading challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-decade rule, and his arrest in March sparked the largest protests Turkiye has seen in over a decade.
Last week, an Istanbul court suspended the CHP’s provincial leadership, citing alleged irregularities in the party’s 2023 congress. The court also appointed Gursel Tekin, a former CHP lawmaker aligned with the party’s old guard, as interim chair. Critics have condemned the move as being politically motivated and aimed at weakening the party.
In response, CHP leadership called on supporters to gather at the party’s Istanbul headquarters ahead of Tekin’s scheduled arrival Monday. That prompted the governor’s office to announce a three-day ban on public gatherings late Sunday. Police quickly surrounded the building, erected barricades and restricted access.
Despite the restrictions, supporters began rallying outside the headquarters on Sunday night. Meanwhile, the Internet watchdog NetBlocks said several social media platforms, including X, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp, were restricted in Turkiye following the CHP’s call for rallies.
On Monday, Tekin arrived at the party headquarters under heavy police protection. His arrival was met with loud protests from gathered supporters and party members angered that he accepted the position following the court ruling the party had denounced as unjust.
Speaking to journalists outside the building, Tekin said his intent was to help resolve the party’s legal challenges, not escalate tensions.
“We will do everything in our power to put an end to the legal troubles our party has been subjected to in the court corridors,” he said.
Police later used pepper spray inside the building and pushed back party officials opposed to his arrival, senior CHP legislator Gokhan Gunaydin and other officials told the opposition-aligned Halk TV television. Witnesses saw dozens of people exiting the building, visibly affected by the pepper gas.
Tekin was later seen entering the building, where he was filmed taking a phone call in a room reserved for journalists.
In a symbolic rejection of Tekin’s court-appointed leadership, the CHP later announced that it had officially closed its Istanbul provincial headquarters and reassigned another building as its new operational base.
The CHP has strongly denied allegations of corruption, saying the accusations are politically motivated and part of a broader effort to undermine the party’s growing influence. Erdogan’s government maintains that the judiciary operates independently and denies any political interference.
On Monday, Erdogan accused the CHP of defying the rule of law and of threatening public order in Istanbul by calling for street protests.
“We will never allow our streets to be thrown into chaos, nor will we permit the peace of our people — especially our fellow citizens in Istanbul — to be disturbed,” Erdogan said.
He also blamed the standoff on an internal power struggle within the CHP.
“We are against the government (which is) stealing our right to vote and arresting the people we voted for,” said Tulay Ozbay, who took part in Monday’s demonstrations. “We reject this injustice.”
Later this month, a separate court in Ankara is expected to rule on a similar case targeting the CHP’s 2023 main congress, which elected Ozgur Ozel as party leader. A ruling against the party could potentially reinstate its former leader, Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, a figure whose tenure drew widespread criticism.
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Police use pepper spray at opposition’s Istanbul offices as court-appointed leadership arrives
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Police use pepper spray at opposition’s Istanbul offices as court-appointed leadership arrives
- The CHP has strongly denied allegations of corruption, saying the accusations are politically motivated and part of a broader effort to undermine the party’s growing influence
Koshary, a spicy Egyptian staple, wins UNESCO recognition
CAIRO: Koshary – a spicy dish of lentils, rice and pasta available at countless Egyptian food stalls – won recognition as a cultural treasure from the UN’s cultural agency on Wednesday, as Cairo makes a broad push to promote its cultural and historical identity abroad.
Egypt’s nomination of koshary for UNESCO’s “Intangible Cultural Heritage” list comes a little over a month after its opening of a sprawling new antiquities museum – another move officials hope will highlight the country’s rich history and lure more tourists.
One popular legend claims koshary originated in northern India and was brought to Egypt by soldiers during the British occupation. But the dish’s origins can in fact be traced through a farther-flung, millennia-old lineage of migration, trade and conquest, food researcher and archaeobotanist Hala Barakat said.
EGYPTIAN DISH, WITH GLOBAL INFLUENCES
Lentils arrived from the Fertile Crescent more than 5,800 years ago, and rice was introduced from East Asia. Tomatoes and chilli peppers were brought from the Americas centuries later, while pasta noodles were a more modern addition.
“These components came together over thousands of years,” Barakat said. “Its name may be Indian, but the Egyptian dish has its own form – and even that varies from Alexandria to Aswan.”
“Koshary in its current form is the koshary Egyptians made their own,” she added.
Egypt’s nomination makes note of this diversity, highlighting the fact that yellow lentils are used on the coast, compared with black lentils in Cairo and Upper Egypt. Some households add boiled eggs, while in Sinai a similar dish called ma’dous is common.
Each of these variations is united by “the special flavour provided by condiments such as vinegar, garlic, and hot sauce, which are added according to preference,” the nomination says.
COUSCOUS, CEVICHE ALSO ON LIST
Making the intangible heritage list is mostly symbolic, and does not bring any direct financial benefit. Other dishes such as couscous – common across the Maghreb region – and the South American dish ceviche are on the list. Italian cuisine was also set to be inscribed this year.
Koshary’s popularity surged in the 20th century as restaurants and brightly decorated street carts proliferated near schools and stations. The absence of animal products has also made it a staple among fasting Coptic Christians and younger Egyptians who are going vegetarian.
Today, the dish is one of Egypt’s most recognizable features, according to Ahmed Shaker, the public relations officer at Abou Tarek Koshary, a popular Cairo restaurant that dates back to 1963.
“Any foreigner or visitor who comes to Egypt visits the Pyramids, visits the museum, and comes to Abou Tarek to eat koshary,” Shaker said.
The dish joins Egypt’s 10 previous “inscriptions,” which include tahteeb, an ancient martial art using sticks, and the Sirat Bani Hilal, an epic oral poem.
UNESCO’s new director-general, Khaled El-Enany, previously served as Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities, and has vowed to use his tenure to safeguard cultural traditions.
Egypt’s nomination of koshary for UNESCO’s “Intangible Cultural Heritage” list comes a little over a month after its opening of a sprawling new antiquities museum – another move officials hope will highlight the country’s rich history and lure more tourists.
One popular legend claims koshary originated in northern India and was brought to Egypt by soldiers during the British occupation. But the dish’s origins can in fact be traced through a farther-flung, millennia-old lineage of migration, trade and conquest, food researcher and archaeobotanist Hala Barakat said.
EGYPTIAN DISH, WITH GLOBAL INFLUENCES
Lentils arrived from the Fertile Crescent more than 5,800 years ago, and rice was introduced from East Asia. Tomatoes and chilli peppers were brought from the Americas centuries later, while pasta noodles were a more modern addition.
“These components came together over thousands of years,” Barakat said. “Its name may be Indian, but the Egyptian dish has its own form – and even that varies from Alexandria to Aswan.”
“Koshary in its current form is the koshary Egyptians made their own,” she added.
Egypt’s nomination makes note of this diversity, highlighting the fact that yellow lentils are used on the coast, compared with black lentils in Cairo and Upper Egypt. Some households add boiled eggs, while in Sinai a similar dish called ma’dous is common.
Each of these variations is united by “the special flavour provided by condiments such as vinegar, garlic, and hot sauce, which are added according to preference,” the nomination says.
COUSCOUS, CEVICHE ALSO ON LIST
Making the intangible heritage list is mostly symbolic, and does not bring any direct financial benefit. Other dishes such as couscous – common across the Maghreb region – and the South American dish ceviche are on the list. Italian cuisine was also set to be inscribed this year.
Koshary’s popularity surged in the 20th century as restaurants and brightly decorated street carts proliferated near schools and stations. The absence of animal products has also made it a staple among fasting Coptic Christians and younger Egyptians who are going vegetarian.
Today, the dish is one of Egypt’s most recognizable features, according to Ahmed Shaker, the public relations officer at Abou Tarek Koshary, a popular Cairo restaurant that dates back to 1963.
“Any foreigner or visitor who comes to Egypt visits the Pyramids, visits the museum, and comes to Abou Tarek to eat koshary,” Shaker said.
The dish joins Egypt’s 10 previous “inscriptions,” which include tahteeb, an ancient martial art using sticks, and the Sirat Bani Hilal, an epic oral poem.
UNESCO’s new director-general, Khaled El-Enany, previously served as Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities, and has vowed to use his tenure to safeguard cultural traditions.
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