Watch Turkey riot cops hit protesters with tear gas as masses take to streets over arrest of Erdogan’s most feared rival

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 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.

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

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

Imamoglu 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 ofIstanbul.

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.

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.

As a result, the protests have now spread to more than 55 of Turkey's 81 provinces.

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.”

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.