Brussels rally: Imamoglu’s letter from prison read in the heart of Europe as European mayors show solidarity
On 12 October, the 61st “Defending the National Will” rally organised by CHP took place at Place Jean Rey, bringing Türkiye’s struggle for democracy to the European stage. Ekrem İmamoğlu, the elected mayor of Istanbul and CHP’s presidential candidate, sent a powerful letter from his prison cell in Silivri, where he has been held for 204 days since the 19 March civil coup.
In his message, İmamoğlu warned that “when justice is diminished in one place, authoritarianism grows everywhere. As the geography of justice narrows, the oppression of despots expands.” He stressed that the fight was not about a single individual but about building “a free and just Türkiye” and called on “all democrats in Europe to defend democracy and justice wherever they are under threat.”
The rally drew significant attention from the European political sphere. Solidarity messages were delivered from major European cities, including Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, Thessaloniki Mayor Stelios Angeloudis, Utrecht Mayor Sharon Dijksma, Frankfurt am Main President of the Municipal Council Hilime Arslaner, Timișoara Mayor Dominic Fritz, Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker, and Brussels Mayor Philippe Close. They expressed support for İmamoğlu and other detained municipal leaders, emphasising that the erosion of democracy in Türkiye would have consequences beyond its borders.
CHP Chair Özgür Özel addressed the crowd, highlighting that the rally was “not just a protest but a movement to restore the people’s will.” He underlined that the opposition’s struggle aims to “carry the voice of the people into the heart of the state and the centre of justice,” and vowed to “stand shoulder to shoulder until this authoritarian system is replaced through free and fair elections.”
The Brussels gathering, attended by thousands of citizens from across Europe, marked a significant moment in Türkiye’s democratic resistance, turning a call for justice inside the country into a broader European conversation on the future of democracy and the rule of law.
