WATCH the shocking moment riot police hit protestors with tear gas and rubber bullets as crowds take to the streets for a fifth night.

Hundreds of thousands of protestors took to Istanbul’s streets following the arrest of the city’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – Erdogan’s most feared rival.

The distressing footage shows violent scenes as riot police clash with protestors in Turkey’s largest demonstrations in a decade.

The police can be seen using rubber bullets, pepper spray, and percussion grenades on the crowd, as terrified demonstrators rush to take refuge inside City Hall.

Masked protesters can also be seen lighting flares and hurling them at the cops in response.

Protests have now spread to more than 55 of Turkey’s 81 provinces.

In the capital Ankara, riot police used water cannons to push back protesters.

And in the western coastal city of Izmir police blocked a student march headed towards the local offices of the ruling AKP party.

A total of 1,133 demonstrators have been arrested across Turkey since the protests began last week, according to Turkish authorities.

Turkey’s Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, claimed the protests have “abused” the right to demonstrate”.

The minister went on to accuse protestors of attempting to disrupt public order by inciting street events and attacking the police.

Yerlikaya wrote on social media: “The terrorization of our streets and the threat to the peace and security of our nation will absolutely not be tolerated.”

The nationwide protests come after Erdogan’s rival, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with corruption.

Imamoglu later called on the Turkish people to hold mass demonstrations across the country to object to his detention.

Imamoglu’s arrest comes just days before he was set to be selected as a 2028 presidential candidate.

The popular candidate was thought to be the only politician who could defeat Turkey’s long-time leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

But the last week’s events have dashed his chances of presidential election.

To run for presidential election in Turkey candidates must have graduated from university.

But Imamoglu had his 31-year-old bachelor’s degree revoked by Istanbul University on Tuesday.

This not only eliminates Imamoglu as a president, but also leaves him unable to resume his position as mayor of Istanbul.

With Imamoglu out of the picture, Erdogan is free to appoint a hand-picked ally to run the country’s largest city.

And that’s not all.

Imamoglu is also facing terrorism charges likely for his party’s association with Kurdish parties – who Erdogan hates and has persecuted.

The court said: “Although there is strong suspicion of aiding an armed terrorist organization, since it has already been decided that he will be arrested for financial crimes.”

Following his arrest, Imamoglu was transferred to Silivri prison on the outskirts of Istanbul.

In a defiant message from prison he said: “I wear a white shirt that you cannot stain. I have a strong arm that you cannot twist.

“I won’t budge an inch. I will win this war.”

A symbolic primary election was organised in support of Imamoglu as the presidential candidate on Sunday.

The election was organised by the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP). 

The party set up symbolic ballot boxes nationwide called solidarity boxes to allow people who are not party members to express their support to the mayor.

Imamoglu’s wife encouraged people to vote in a post on X, writing: “I invite our nation… to the ballot box.

“We are casting our vote to support president Ekrem: for democracy, justice and the future.”

People turned out in such large numbers that voting was extended by an extra three-and-a-half hours.

Of the 15 million non-party votes, 13.2 million were in solidarity with Imamoglu, according to City Hall.

A 29-year-old voter said: “Whenever there’s a strong opponent [to Erdogan], they are always jailed.

“There is a dictatorship in Turkey right now, nothing else, it’s politics in name only.”

Imamoglu is the only candidate on his party’s ballot in the primary, thrusting Turkey into a constitutional crisis ahead of the election in three years time.

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, a fellow member of Imamoglu’s CHP, said: “Honestly, we are embarrassed in the name of our legal system.”

Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and an author of a biography of Erdogan, said with Imamoglus arrest, Erdogan was taking an extreme measure against his key opponent.

He said: “Erdogan is determined to do whatever it takes to end Imamoglu’s career. He (Imamoglu) beats Erdogan in every imaginable presidential poll.”

In the wake of the protests Turkish authorities have called for the closure of more than 700 accounts on X, according to the social media platform.

X refused to close the accounts on the grounds of “free speech”.

A representative from X said: “Providing a platform committed to defending everyone’s right to free speech is paramount at X, and we believe this decision from the Turkish government is not only unlawful, it hinders millions of Turkish users from news and political discourse in their country.

“We look forward to defending these principles through the legal system. X will always defend freedom of speech everywhere we operate,”

Imamoglu was elected as mayor in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan, whose party had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century.

Erdogan’s party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city but his efforts were unsuccessful.

Turkey’s currency this week plunged to a record low and Erdogan was forced to spend some £9bn to keep it afloat.