Turkish riot police use water cannons ahead of deposed opposition leader’s speech to rally

ISTANBUL (AP) — Riot police in Turkey used water cannons on Tuesday to prevent people from gathering to hear a speech by the deposed leader of the country's main opposition party.

Ozgur Ozel and the core leadership of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, were removed from their posts on Thursday by a court order that many people consider to be politically motivated.

Ozel had intended to address supporters on Tuesday in the western Turkish city of Izmir, but those heading to the city's Cumhuriyet Square found their way blocked by steel barriers and riot police.

Pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV showed many of the largely middle-aged crowd being soaked by water cannon as they tried to reach the square. Local media also reported that police deployed pepper spray.

The political crisis was sparked last week when an appeals court in Ankara overturned a 2023 party congress vote that appointed Ozel as CHP leader. The court decision replaced him with his predecessor, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, sparking outrage among party supporters.

Ozel, 51, who succeeded the 77-year-old Kilicdaroglu after 13 years of mostly ineffective opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Tuesday called on Kilicdaroglu to hold another party leadership vote. “Don’t divide the party, don’t stop our march to power,” he said. “Let’s ask the 2 million members (and) whoever they choose, let’s hold the congress immediately.”

The court case, which centered on irregularities in the congress vote, is seen by the president’s critics as the latest legal attack on the CHP, during which waves of elected officials and party members have been imprisoned.

Following the court ruling, Ozel and his supporters barricaded themselves inside the CHP headquarters in Ankara. Police stormed the building on Sunday, firing plastic pellets and pepper spray in a violent end to the standoff.

Ozel, who has vowed to take the struggle to the streets, said on arriving in Izmir that he would “go wherever the people are waiting.” He later arrived at Cumhuriyet Square before walking to another nearby square where he delivered a speech to thousands of cheering supporters.

The confrontation in Izmir — Turkey’s third-largest city and traditionally a CHP stronghold — came a day ahead of the official Eid al-Adha holiday, although many people had also taken Monday and Tuesday off work.

In a televised Eid message, Erdogan said he hoped the vacation would be “an occasion for hearts to soften, for those who are estranged to reconcile, for grievances to be resolved.”

The CHP is level with the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, in most recent opinion polls and although the next election is not due until 2028, many expect Erdogan to push for early elections.

Ozel delivered a serious blow to the AKP in the 2024 municipal elections, strengthening the opposition’s grip on key cities it had won five years earlier, including Istanbul and Ankara.

The CHP mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, emerged as the likeliest challenger to Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, in the next presidential poll. But he has been imprisoned since March last year as he faces several criminal cases that could see him sentenced to decades behind bars.

Many observers have said the legal cases against the CHP — mostly centered on corruption allegations — are aimed at neutralizing the party. The government insists that Turkey’s courts are impartial and act independently of political pressure.

Police use water cannon to disperse supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in Izmir, Turkey, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, during a rally in support of party's deposed leader Ozgur Ozel. (AP Photo/Erdem Sahin)

Police scuffle with supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in Izmir, Turkey, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, during a rally in support of party's deposed leader Ozgur Ozel. (AP Photo/Erdem Sahin)

Police use water cannon to disperse supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in Izmir, Turkey, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, during a rally in support of party's deposed leader Ozgur Ozel. (AP Photo/Erdem Sahin)

Police use water cannon and pepper spray to disperse supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in Izmir, Turkey, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, during a rally in support of party's deposed leader Ozgur Ozel. (AP Photo/Erdem Sahin)

Police use water cannon to disperse supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in Izmir, Turkey, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, during a rally in support of party's deposed leader Ozgur Ozel. (AP Photo/Erdem Sahin)

LONDON (AP) — Temperature records have toppled as a spring heatwave continued to scorch parts of Western Europe on Tuesday, triggering government warnings about risks to life. Several drownings were reported in Britain and France as people tried to cool down.

London recorded a rare “tropical night,” defined as one in which the temperature does not fall below 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit), and Britain’s Met Office weather service said the temperature in southern England could reach 35 C (95 F) on Tuesday.

Monday was the U.K.’s hottest May day on record, with the temperature hitting 34.8 C (94.6 F) at Kew Gardens in London, smashing the previous record of 32.8 C (91.4 F) set in 1922 and 1944. Records also fell in France, where temperatures reached 36 C (97 F) on Monday and widely remained above 20 C (68 F) at night.

The national weather service, Météo-France, said a “heat dome,” with heat held in place by a high-pressure weather front, was producing temperatures more than 10 degrees Celsius above what used to be usual for this time of year.

Unpredictable and extreme weather are becoming more frequent as Earth’s warming builds. Experts say unprecedented and deadly weather extremes that sometimes strike at abnormal times and in unusual places are putting more people in danger.

After a U.K. long weekend that sent people flocking to beaches, pools and shady parks, London commuters sweltered on Tuesday in subway carriages without air conditioning. Trains to and from the busy Waterloo station were disrupted by a report of smoke on the tracks.

In Scotland, firefighters worked through the night to douse a grass fire that sent smoke billowing from Arthur’s Seat, the rocky hill that looms over Edinburgh.

The U.K. Health Security Agency issued an amber health alert for large parts of the country through Thursday, warning of a potential health risk, particularly among older people, at the hottest times of the day. The U.K. is used to moderate temperatures, and many homes, schools and businesses do not have air conditioning.

A 13-year-old boy died in the water of a reservoir in Halifax, northern England, on Monday, police said.

French government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said there have been reports of at least seven deaths potentially related to high temperatures, including five drownings and two deaths in sports competitions.

The early heatwave has struck before the annual summer window when lifeguards watch over bathers at popular beaches, increasing risks.

On France’s Atlantic seaboard, where magnificent beaches have powerful riptides, officials reported a rash of emergencies in the surf with two drowning deaths on Sunday at popular resorts in the Gironde region in the southwest.

The top regional administrator, Sophie Brocas, urged beachgoers “to exercise the utmost caution.”

The unseasonable heat extended to Spain, where weather service spokesperson Rubén del Campo said "we find ourselves with temperatures we normally see in the middle of the summer now in the month of May.”

He said Seville hit 38 C (100 F) over the weekend, while large parts of the peninsula saw temperatures 5 to 10 degrees Celsius higher than normal.

And in Rome, temperatures were expected to reach 32 degrees C (89.6 F) on Tuesday.

Associated Press writers John Leicester in Paris and Joseph Wilson in Barcelona contributed to this report.

A woman shelters from the sun with a city guide in downtown Rome as temperatures are expected to reach 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit), Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A woman drinks water from a frozen bottle in downtown Rome as temperatures are expected to reach 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit), Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A man drinks water at a fountain in downtown Rome as temperatures are expected to reach 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit), Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

People enjoying the warm weather on Sunny Sands beach in Folkestone, England, Saturday May 23, 2026. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

A speed boat passes by the Conciergerie along the Seine River during a sunny day in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

People seek relief from the heat along the Seine River in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. Artwork by street artist JR is seen on the Pont Neuf in the background. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

A man cools down with a bottle of water during the hot weather on Westminster Bridge, central London, England, Monday, May 25, 2026. (James Manning/PA via AP)

People visit Bournemouth beach, south England, Monday May 25, 2026. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)