Over 100 Detained in Turkey as Leftist Groups Stage Anti-NATO Protests

Turkish authorities detained more than 100 people during an anti-NATO protest march organised by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) on Sunday. The government had ramped up security measures across the capital ahead of an alliance summit next week.

The detentions came as Turkey prepares to host leaders from 32 NATO member countries, as well as officials from the alliance's partners, for a summit in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday. Authorities have imposed a province-wide ban on all public assemblies in Ankara from June 28 to July 10, citing "national security" concerns and security measures around the summit, according to a statement from the Ankara Governorate.

Crackdown on Protests

The TKP said it had organised the protest march in Ankara's central Kizilay square, and that more than 100 party members, including administrators, had been detained. Footage showed flag-waving protesters chanting slogans including "Murderer NATO, get out of country" and "No passage to NATO," as riot police intervened using tear gas to disperse crowds, Reuters reported.

In a separate protest organised by the TKP, hundreds of people marched from Istanbul's Taksim Square to Dolmabahce. There were also two separate protests organised by leftist groups in the Kadikoy district. Despite a heavy police presence, there were no scuffles during the protests in Istanbul.

"We have gathered today in many parts of Turkey to protest against NATO," TKP Secretary General Kemal Okuyan said in Istanbul, as reported by Reuters. "We said that we would not hand over Ankara to supporters of NATO, that we would not allow Ankara to remain silent. We have fulfilled that promise."

Arrests and Crackdown

The detentions on Sunday follow a broader crackdown. According to a statement from the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on June 25, of the 225 people detained during operations launched in dawn raids on June 23, 135 were referred to court with requests for pretrial detention. Of these, 103 were remanded, while 26 were placed under judicial control measures, including house arrest.

Separately, 39 others, including journalists from independent outlets, activists, and academics, were detained in anti-terror raids across the country.

Turkish prosecutors have previously said the operations were part of efforts to uncover militant group activities, without mentioning the summit.

Political Backlash

Tuncer Bakirhan, co-chair of Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party, criticised the detentions as unacceptable measures hindering basic rights ahead of the NATO summit. "The country has been fully turned into a detention centre by using the NATO summit as an excuse," Bakirhan said on X. "We are living through days of undeclared martial law."

Main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) court-appointed chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu also criticised the detentions.