ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s government denounced opposition calls for a mass commercial boycott following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu that sparked nationwide protests, describing them on Wednesday as an economic “sabotage attempt”.
After the mayor was detained two weeks ago, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) had called for a boycott of goods and services from companies with perceived ties to President Tayyip Erdogan’s government.
That call widened on Wednesday to include a halt to all shopping for one day, prompting some shops to close in solidarity with those criticising the arrest as a politicised and anti-democratic attempt to hurt the opposition’s electoral prospects.
Imamoglu is Erdogan’s main political rival and the CHP’s presidential candidate for any future election.
Trade Minister Omer Bolat said boycott calls posed a threat to economic stability and accused those advocating them of seeking to undermine the government.
They “are an attempt to sabotage the economy and include unfair trade and competition elements. We see this as a futile attempt by circles who consider themselves the masters of this country”, Bolat said.
Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said the calls threatened social harmony and economic stability, and were “doomed to fail”.
Several cabinet ministers and pro-government celebrities, including former Germany and Real Madrid soccer midfielder Mesut Ozil, used the hashtag #BoykotDegilMilliZarar (“Not a Boycott, but National Damage”) to emphasize their stance.
The calls have been led by CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel, who has encouraged the street protests that have swollen to the largest in Turkey in more than a decade. Erdogan has called the protests “evil” and said they would not last.
Turkey’s economy has been hit by a years-long cost of living crisis and series of currency crashes, with growth having slowed and inflation still lofty at 39% in February.
On Tuesday prosecutors launched an investigation into those advocating the boycott calls on social and traditional media.
The Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said it was probing calls that allegedly sought to prevent a segment of the public from engaging in economic activity, citing possible violations of laws against hate speech and inciting public hostility.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Alex Richardson)
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