Tractor Convoy Joins Growing Wave Of Anti-Government Protests In Central Turkey.
In a powerful show of defiance, around 100 tractors rolled through the streets of Yozgat, central Turkey, on Saturday, as part of a major anti-government demonstration led by the main opposition party, the CHP.
The protest comes exactly one month after the arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, a key political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His detention triggered the country’s most widespread protests in a decade and saw nearly 2,000 people detained in a sweeping government crackdown.
While the initial mass rallies have somewhat subsided, public anger continues to simmer. Students from universities and high schools have kept the momentum going, and CHP leader Ozgur Ozel has been organising weekly demonstrations across the country.
Donning a flat cap and driving a tractor himself, Ozel led Saturday’s convoy through Yozgat — a traditionally conservative farming region known for its support of Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted AKP and its nationalist MHP allies. Thousands of flag-waving supporters lined the streets, chanting “Government, resign!” in scenes shared widely by opposition media.
Addressing the crowd, Ozel declared, “I warn the authorities who see the people of Yozgat as ants and are trying to crush them: we will not let you crush these hard-working farmers!”
The protest also highlighted frustrations among the agricultural community, with farmers saying they are being silenced for speaking out. Just last month, a group of local farmers faced fines for staging a tractor protest against Imamoglu’s arrest and the government’s clampdown on student demonstrators.
Speaking to the Anka news agency, one of the protesting tractor drivers shared his frustration: “The government is putting pressure on students, but the future of Turkey is the students, right? We came here to support each other. We can’t afford anything because of hunger and thirst…. Our government should stop being partisan and deal with people’s hunger.”
At the rally, organisers read out a letter from Imamoglu himself, calling for support for the opposition’s push for early elections.
“If the government were to call early elections today, the economy would get back on track,” the letter read — a direct message to citizens who had previously backed the ruling AKP or its allies.
As protests continue to spread beyond urban centres into the heartland, the movement appears to be gaining momentum, uniting students, farmers, and opposition leaders in a growing call for change.
