Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has described a boycott of pro-government businesses and media launched in protest of the arrest of İstanbul’s opposition mayor as a “coup attempt” against the Turkish economy.
Yerlikaya’s statement came early Wednesday after the opposition expanded its boycott call to include a one-day halt to all shopping, prompting some stores to close in solidarity with people criticizing the arrest as a politicized and anti-democratic attempt to harm the opposition’s electoral prospects.
The minister said in a post on X that the boycott call is an act of “sabotage” against the country’s economic independence, an “assassination” and a “coup attempt” on the economy.
Gençlerimizi kendi siyasi emelleri uğruna sokaklara çağırıp iç karışıklık çıkarmaya çalışanlar; halkımız arasında kin ve düşmanlık tohumlarını ekmeye uğraşanlar, “işkence yapılıyor” diyerek ülkemize iftira atanlar, şimdi de ‘’boykot çağrısı’’ yapıyorlar.
Ana muhalefetin fütursuz… pic.twitter.com/CNCk5DmN6w
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) April 2, 2025
The boycott campaign was initially launched by Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel during a demonstration outside İstanbul City Hall a day after İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s arrest. Özel named nearly two dozen brands, including popular bookstores and coffee chains, and urged people to cancel subscriptions and support independent businesses instead.
İmamoğlu, widely seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political rival, was arrested March 23 on corruption charges that many say are politically motivated. His detention has sparked widespread protests unseen in the country since 2013 and has intensified tensions.
İmamoğlu on Monday expressed support for the boycott in a post on his X account, which is managed by his lawyers.
“I support our party leader Özgür Özel’s call for a boycott and urge millions of citizens to join this movement with discipline and dedication,” he wrote. “This boycott is not about destroying businesses or the media but about freeing them from their chains and restoring their independence.”
He accused pro-government businesses of serving the interests of an “oppressive and undemocratic” administration and called on them to take a stand.
The boycott campaign has gained significant traction online, with social media users sharing extended lists of pro-government brands and encouraging economic action against them.
Erdoğan and his government have denounced the campaign, accusing the opposition of attempting to destabilize the Turkish economy.
“Anyone who tries to sabotage the Turkish economy will be held accountable in a court of law,” Erdoğan warned last week, suggesting legal consequences for the people joining the boycott.
Trade Minister Ömer Bolat also said on Tuesday that “businesses that have suffered financial losses” can file for damages against the people who have called for a boycott.
İmamoğlu, who has defeated the AKP three times in İstanbul elections, is facing both corruption and terrorism-related charges in two investigations launched by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. More than 100 others are also implicated in the cases, which critics view as an attempt to sideline the mayor ahead of the next presidential election, slated for 2028.
The CHP has been the target of an intensifying crackdown in recent months, resulting in the arrest and removal of six of its mayors in İstanbul, including İmamoğlu.