Called by grassroots organizations, political parties, unions, and Palestine solidarity groups, the demonstrations took place in at least twenty provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Van, Erzurum, and Mardin, among others.

In Istanbul, a crowd gathered in front of the Israeli and US consulates, condemning what they described as an act of piracy in international waters and a crime against humanity, referring to the violent boarding of the vessels comprising the flotilla.

The protesters, carrying Palestinian and Turkish flags, as well as banners supporting Gaza and the flotilla, denounced the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people and demanded the immediate release of the activists detained by the Israeli authorities, including 24 Turkish citizens.

In Ankara, the country’s capital, protests gathered in front of the United States Embassy, which is accused by large sectors of Turkish society of being complicit in the Israeli blockade and aggression.

The demonstrations come amid profound public shock in Turkey, following the news that 40 of the 44 vessels of the Steadfastness Flotilla were intercepted by the Israeli Navy, and their occupants arrested and transferred to the port of Ashdod, in an operation that has drawn international condemnation.

Ankara authorities announced the opening of a criminal investigation into the incident, charging them with unlawful deprivation of liberty, kidnapping, damage to property, and violation of international law.

jdt/ro/fm