The Communications Directorate on Saturday refuted claims that France and England advised their nationals to leave Türkiye.
The claims spread by pro-Israeli social media accounts that France and England called on their citizens to leave Türkiye immediately are not true, the directorate’s anti-disinformation center said in a statement.
“Contrary to what has been claimed, there is no call issued from France or England to their citizens in our country,” the center said.
“Turkish law enforcement is providing an environment of peace and security for everyone with patience and common sense in the demonstrations held in some provinces regarding the ongoing judicial processes in our country,” it said, urging the public not to believe “the baseless allegations that aim to manipulate international public opinion."
Since Thursday, hundreds of demonstrators protesting the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu have clashed with police in Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul, including at universities. Many rallied at the municipal headquarters in Istanbul despite a four-day ban on gatherings.
Scattered protests took place across the country as authorities erected barricades blocking several streets.
The protests erupted mainly after the main opposition leader Özgür Özel called for people to hit the streets at a rally at the Istanbul Municipality building on Thursday.
Moreover, Özel on Friday renewed his call on supporters to take to the streets, even as authorities widened a ban on protests and criticized the call as irresponsible.
On Saturday, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced more than 340 people were detained across nine cities on Friday night.
Yerlikaya said "343 suspects were caught in the protests that took place in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, Çanakkale, Eskişehir, Konya and Edirne," warning that those who sought to sow "chaos and provocation will definitely not be tolerated."
Imamoğlu, 54, was taken into custody on Wednesday on charges of rampant corruption in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) and aiding the PKK terrorist group by recruiting its sympathizers.
