A major gesture from Muharrem İnce to Özgür Özel: He allocated his bus

Following the court-ordered return of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to the chairmanship of the CHP, the current administration led by Özgür Özel became unable to access the party's bank accounts and vehicles. Preparations were underway for a rally to be held at İzmir's Cumhuriyet Square on May 26. However, the İzmir Governor's Office banned demonstrations in the square. Despite this, tens of thousands of CHP members gathered in the area at the call of Özel.

Muharrem İnce became one of the day's most prominent figures after he provided his own campaign bus to Özgür Özel, who had been unable to use the party's vehicles since returning to the party last year. This move was seen as both moral and practical support for Özel.

POLICE INTERVENTION CASTS A SHADOW

On the day of the rally, Cumhuriyet Square was surrounded by extensive security measures. Riot police units intervened against the crowd arriving at the area with pressurized water and tear gas from TOMA vehicles. While many citizens were affected by this intervention, some women expressed their reactions by calling out to the police, saying, "Shame on you, my child."

Groups attempting to break through the barricades set up by riot police tried to make their voices heard with slogans such as "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal," "The day will come, the tide will turn, the AKP will be held accountable to the people," and "President Özgür." The police directed numerous TOMA vehicles to the perimeter of the area and the surrounding streets.

Meanwhile, Özgür Özel joined the citizens in the rally area along with his wife, Didem, and daughter, İpek. He walked from the area to Gündoğdu Square to deliver his rally speech.