The protest in the city of Izmir came two days after riot police battered their way into the main opposition CHP’s headquarters in the capital Ankara in unprecedented scenes, firing tear gas and beating party members before throwing them out, Ozel told AFP.

The dramatic scenes followed a shock court ruling on Thursday that overturned a 2023 party primary that elected Ozel.

It was the latest in a string of moves against the CHP, Turkey’s oldest political party, which scored a major political win over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP in 2024 local elections and has been rising in the polls.

Since the ruling, the party has been in chaos.

Ozel called the Izmir rally at midday (0900 GMT) as Turkey was poised to shut down for the four-day Eid al-Adha holiday, which begins on Wednesday.

Ahead of the rally, the governorate ordered the closure of the city’s central Cumhuriyet Square, deploying a large number of riot police with water cannon trucks, who tried to break up the flag-waving crowd, Turkish media reported.

“President Ozgur, free Turkey!” they shouted – his name the Turkish word for “free” – in scenes broadcast live on TV.

Ozel and his leadership were ousted following a court case concerning allegations of vote-buying at the 2023 primary.

The case was thrown out in October for lack of substance, but the ruling was overturned on appeal.

The assault on the CHP began in earnest with the jailing of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan’s main political rival and the party’s presidential candidate, on charges widely seen as political.

“Erdogan has lost all restraint,” Ozel told AFP late Sunday.

“Just as he imprisoned the presidential candidate who could defeat him, he is now effectively shutting down the political party that could defeat him,” he said.

“Turkey has ceased to be a modern democratic republic and has turned into a one‑man regime.”