TRANSCRIPT
It's become a daily occurrence across Turkiye.
As night falls, thousands unite under the national flag, in support of the jailed mayor of Istanbul.
The government has imposed a ban on public gatherings.
But a sea of people converge on City Hall in defiance.
Many of them - supporters of Ekrem Imamoglu's Republican People's Party.
The party's chairman, Ozgur Ozel, had this message for the President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan [[er-do-arrrn]].
"Erdogan, you were saying we would protest on the first day, slow down on the second and forget on the third day. It has now been a week, this is just the beginning."
Ekrem Imamoglu has been jailed and suspended from his post as Istanbul mayor, facing corruption charges.
His party describes the arrest as an attack on democracy - an attempt to remove President Erdogan's biggest challenger after 22 years as Turkiye's leader.
Moments after the rally outside Istanbul's City Hall finished...
... police moved in, firing rubber pellets and tear gas.
There were similar scenes of violence in the capital, where just hours earlier, President Erdogan labelled the protests as evil, responsible for more than 100 security force members being injured.
"The only ones responsible for the officers injured, shopkeepers whose windows were broken, and the billions of lira worth of public property damaged, are the opposition party leader and his team."
But human rights groups have condemned the government.
Amnesty International denouncing what they say was a completely unwarranted police use of force against peaceful demonstrators, with people beaten with batons and kicked when they were on the ground.
Human Rights Watch says this is a dark time for democracy in Türkiye.
They say there is a blatantly lawless move to weaponize the justice system to cancel the democratic process.
According to Reporters Without Borders, 10 journalists have been assaulted, and five arrested.
With 90 per cent of Turkish media under government control... the organisation ranks the country 158th in its press freedom index.
European Union Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier says the violence has raised questions about democracy in Turkiye.
"We want Turkey to remain anchored to Europe, but this requires a clear commitment to democratic norms and practices and it's key that Turkiye respects those fundamental principles."
Now market analysts warn the political turmoil could threaten investment, with fears of prolonged instability in the country.
