Turkish authorities have denied the use of plastic bullets at mass protests

During mass protests in support of the arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, law enforcement agencies do not use plastic bullets, but tear gas canisters. This was announced on Sunday, March 23, by the center for combating disinformation under the Communications Department of the administration of Turkish President Recep Erdogan.

"The statement that the object in the images posted on some social media accounts is a "plastic bullet used during demonstrations" is not true," follows from the publication of the department on the social network X (former. Twitter).

They explained that the object in the image is actually a tear gas canister, which is used by security forces to "protect public order."

It is specified that the capsule is used with a paintball rifle operating at a maximum air pressure of 15 J.

In the Izvestia footage, you can see that the police are trying to disperse the protesters with water and gas.

Mayoral feeling: Turkey is preparing for new protests after the arrest of the head of Istanbul

What strategy will the current authorities of the country choose to resolve the conflict?

Law enforcement agencies issued a warrant for Imamoglu's detention on March 19. According to media reports, an anti-corruption operation has been launched against the Istanbul administration. It concerns the holding of city tenders, as well as clarifying the details of the interaction of opposition officials with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.

Later, mass protests began in Turkey in connection with the mayor's detention. The day before, it was reported that police in Istanbul used tear gas against protesters. On March 20, the Turkish Interior Minister announced that six policemen had been injured during a protest in Istanbul. Rallies were also held in Ankara.

On March 23, the mayor of Istanbul was arrested by court order. After that, the country's Interior Ministry reported that Imamoglu had been temporarily suspended from his duties. On the same day, almost 15 million participants in the primaries of the opposition Republican People's Party (SNR) chose the arrested mayor as the only candidate to participate in the likely early presidential elections.