Actor Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu
Turkish authorities on Thursday detained at least 11 people suspected of spreading calls for a blanket boycott of purchases to protest the jailing of İstanbul’s opposition mayor, the official Anadolu news agency reported.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the calls, accusing the suspects of inciting “hatred and discrimination,” Anadolu said, adding that authorities were seeking five additional suspects.
Among the detained is actor Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu.
The leader of the main opposition CHP party called for the purchase boycott on Wednesday to put more pressure on the government after the March 19 arrest of Istanbul’s popular mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
İmamoğlu is the main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his detention set off a wave of mass protests not seen in Turkey for more than a decade.
Nearly 2,000 people, including several hundred students and young people, have been detained since the start of the protests.
Some cafes, restaurants and bars heeded the boycott call and remained closed Wednesday in İstanbul as well as in the capital Ankara.
CHP leader Özgür Özel had already launched a call to boycott dozens of Turkish companies and groups reputed to be close to Erdoğan’s government.