In late March 2025, Turkey was rocked by its largest protests in a decade after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu — a leading rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — was detained on corruption and terrorism charges. Outrage over his jailing and the subsequent closure of city services (such as metro and bus lines) under a protest ban quickly spilled into the streets. Yet alongside anger and defiance, an unexpected element emerged: humor and creative spectacle.

Protesters of all ages, led by waves of university students, converged on city halls and public squares across Turkey, not only waving flags and chanting slogans, but also wielding costumes, memes and symbolic performances as tools of resistance.

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