A protester dressed as Pikachu became an unlikely symbol of resistance as riot police cracked down on demonstrations following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, widely regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan&rsquo;s main political challenger. As thousands of protesters took to the streets condemning İmamoğlu&rsquo;s detention, police deployed water cannons and mass arrests to disperse crowds. Amid the chaos, a demonstrator in a full-body Pikachu costume was filmed fleeing from officers, turning a tense moment into a viral spectacle. &ldquo;They can&rsquo;t catch &rsquo;em all!&rdquo; one X user quipped, referencing the Pok&eacute;mon franchise&rsquo;s iconic tagline. Another joked, &ldquo;I thought he was supposed to catch &rsquo;em all.&rdquo; The footage has been viewed over nine million times, with many calling it the &ldquo;Pok&eacute;mon Uprising.&rdquo; Turkish authorities have arrested at least 1,878 demonstrators since protests erupted last Wednesday, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Only 489 have been released so far. The protests intensified after İmamoğlu, recently named the opposition&rsquo;s 2028 presidential candidate, was charged with corruption&mdash;a move critics call politically motivated. Erdoğan dismissed the demonstrations, labelling protesters as &ldquo;evil&rdquo; agitators and insisting that the charges against İmamoğlu are legitimate. &ldquo;There is no place for chaos in our democracy,&rdquo; Erdoğan said in a televized speech. The crackdown has extended to journalists, with seven local reporters and a French photojournalist from Agence France-Presse among those detained. BBC journalist Mark Lowen was also deported after being deemed a &ldquo;threat to public order.&rdquo; Meanwhile, online users have turned the Pikachu moment into a meme, editing AI-generated versions featuring other pop culture figures like Batman and the Joker fleeing police. Reporters Without Borders ranks Turkey 158th out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index, citing government control of 90% of media outlets. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc, however, insists that İmamoğlu&rsquo;s case is not political, stating, &ldquo;The allegations are serious, and justice must take its course.&rdquo; For now, the protests rage on, and while Erdoğan&rsquo;s government clamps down on dissent, one thing is certain&mdash;the internet has already declared its favourite fugitive.

Online users have turned the Pikachu moment into a meme, editing AI-generated versions featuring pop culture figures like Batman and the Joker fleeing police

Costumed protester goes viral amid crackdown on İmamoğlu supporters

Pikachu Flees Riot Police in Istanbul Protests

Costumed protester goes viral amid crackdown on İmamoğlu supporters

March 28, 2025 | 14:43 IST