• The Republican People’s Party (CHP) has called for a protest at Iskele Square in Istanbul’s Kadikoy district at 20:30 (local time) on September 10.   
• The protest is organized to condemn the government’s “lawlessness and judicial coups.” 

  

1. The slated protest forms a part of weekly CHP-led protests across several districts in Istanbul against the government’s crackdown on party officials, including the arrest of former Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. These events have consistently drawn large turnouts, as also seen in a protest in Zeytinburnu on September 3 , which attracted crowds ranging from the high hundreds to low thousands. The upcoming protest also closely follows large-scale unrest on September 8 outside the CHP’s Istanbul office in Sariyer, where protesters opposed the government’s appointment of a trustee to oversee the party’s Istanbul branch. During that incident, party supporters attempted to breach security barriers, resulting in scuffles that prompted security forces to deploy riot control measures. 
2. FORECAST: Given these heightened tensions, the slated protest is also likely to garner similar turnouts in the high hundreds to low thousands. Based on precedent, the gathering is likely to transpire peacefully. However, given the current tensions, a bolstered security presence can be anticipated around the protest locale, increasing the underlying risk of localized scuffles between some protesters and security forces. In such cases, riot control measures are likely to be employed. Localized traffic disruptions can be anticipated around Iskele Square during the evening hours. 

Those operating or residing in Istanbul on September 10 are advised to maintain heightened vigilance near Iskele Square in Kadikoy due to the slated protest and associated risk of unrest.