Mass arrests in Turkey as protests erupt over Istanbul mayor’s detention

Turkish authorities have detained 343 people during overnight protests in several cities against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

Demonstrations took place in more than a dozen cities including Turkey's biggest city Istanbul and the capital Ankara, the ministry said in a statement.

It said the detentions were made to prevent “disrupting of public order” and warned that authorities would not tolerate “chaos and provocation.”

Tens of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets in mostly peaceful demonstrations since Wednesday, when Imamoglu was detained on charges such as graft and aiding a terrorist group. He is President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival who leads him in some opinion polls.

The mayor's Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition, condemned the move as politically motivated and urged supporters to demonstrate lawfully.