Yerlikaya warns against provoking streets in response to Özel's CHP remarks
ISTANBUL
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya rebuked CHP leader Özgür Özel's statements, stressing that court decisions cannot be ignored and vowing no tolerance for attempts to provoke public unrest.
Yerlikaya highlighted the Sept. 2, 2025, interim ruling by Istanbul's 45th Civil Court of First Instance, which temporarily removed the CHP Istanbul provincial chairman and board, appointing an interim committee in their place.
"Ignoring court decisions and trying to mobilize people onto the streets is a clear challenge to the law. No one is above the law. The state will decisively address any unlawful attempts," Yerlikaya stated.
Reacting to calls for street action, he added: "We will never allow calls to the streets that disrupt public order and our nation's peace, or provoke the streets."
The comments followed Özel's criticism of the court decision and police presence around the CHP Istanbul headquarters, which he described as an "invasion of our home" and urged authorities to withdraw in line with the law.
