Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and a popular figure, had boasted jokingly that he was the only person to have beaten Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party in three local elections.

Ivan Hansen, a retired Danish police officer, loaded up his basket at the supermarket, carefully checking each product to avoid buying anything made in the United States. The 67-year-old said it's the only way he knows to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's policies.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Thousands of Turks ramped up protests on Thursday despite a ban on street gatherings over what they called the undemocratic detention of Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as the opposition sought to pin the blame on President Tayyip Erdogan.