In view of the currency crisis in Turkey, numerous people demonstrated in Istanbul and Ankara.
According to the organizers, thousands took to the streets in the metropolis of Istanbul on Sunday.
The demonstrators gathered in the Asian part of the city and held up signs that read: "Enough!" The left-wing Disk Union had called for the protest.
Meanwhile, at least 90 students have been arrested in Ankara, according to the “We cannot find shelter” initiative.
Despite the governor's ban on demonstrations, they tried to assemble in the capital.
Since this summer, students have been protesting against high rents with various campaigns and demanding affordable housing.
Inflation of 20 percent
The protests were triggered by the steady decline in the local currency, the lira (TL), and the high inflation rate of more than 20 percent. In Istanbul, for example, life has become more than 50 percent more expensive within a year, according to the city administration. Sunflower oil recorded the highest price increase with an increase of around 138 percent. The general secretary of the Disk union, Adnan Serdaroglu, warned on Halk TV: “People are becoming poor.” He demanded a significant increase in the monthly minimum wage from currently around TL 3,600 gross (around 230 euros).
According to critics, the background to the lira crisis is, among other things, the interference of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the monetary policy of the central bank.
Erdogan repeatedly urges low interest rates and, contrary to common economic theory, takes the view that high interest rates promote inflation.