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Talking of shocking developments, a protest against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan got a jolt of electric energy as a protestor dressed in a full-body Pikachu costume became viral on the internet, with some hailing the Pokémon character as an unexpected symbol of resistance.
The costumed protestor, dubbed ‘Pikachu’ by onlookers, joined the crowd demonstrating against President Erdoğan and was later seen fleeing from police as water cannons and riot gear were deployed to disperse the crowd.
Around 1900 protestors have been detained so far according to reports. several journalists covering the events have also been arrested or even deported, including BBC reporter Mark Lowen.
Pikachu’s presence proved to be a major draw, with some people pausing to snap photos with the giant yellow character.
Some online images even captured police officers posing for pictures alongside the Pikachu protestor.
Pikachu wasn’t the only character making an appearance, as Spiderman and other costumed individuals also participated in the demonstration.
The crowd follows wherever Pikachu directs them, with some even stopping to take pictures with the infamous protester at turkey pic.twitter.com/EOlknli4ak
— BlueGreen Planet (@De_le_Vega) March 28, 2025
Turkish style pic.twitter.com/9SA8igadgc
— Murat Umutlu (@AliMuratUmutlu) March 27, 2025
The protests erupted amid widespread outrage over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is Erdoğan’s biggest political rival in the country. Imamoglu was named the Republican People Party’s presidential candidate for the 2028 elections.
According to demonstrators the rival’s arrest was politically motivated, designed to neutralize his growing popularity ahead of the 2028 presidential race.
Erdoğan on the other hand called the protestors evil agents who were disturbing the peace of the country.
In addition to arresting Imamoglu, Istanbul university revoked Imamoglu’s diploma, citing irregularities, last week. This move will block the mayor from contesting in the elections as candidates are required to hold a university degree.
