Turkey Opposition leader calls for targeted boycotts

Turkey's anti-government protesters are weighing their options, amid calls by the main opposition leader for weekly rallies, a growing economic boycott and a groundswell of fired-up student demonstrators determined to stay on the streets.

- Ruth Michaelson

The leader of the Republican People's party (CHP), Özgür Özel, expanded a call to boycott goods and services from companies perceived as close to the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during a rally in support of the jailed Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu.

Speaking to the hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters who filled a park in Istanbul over the weekend, Özel took aim at the Doğuş Group, a Turkish conglomerate that owns the pro-government NTV channel, and its ties to Erdoğan. "The Doğuş Group will be buried underground, as it fears this gathering," Özel said.

The Doğuş Group oversees a vast portfolio of construction companies, pro-government media outlets, energy companies, real estate investment and Volkswagen distributors in Turkey. It also acts as the parent company for more than 200 restaurants and popular entertainment spots, including Nusr-Et, a steakhouse chain owned by Nusret Gökçe, better known as the chef Salt Bae.