Police detain nearly 100 students protesting controversial cleric at Boğaziçi University

Police detained 97 people, including a journalist, during a student protest yesterday at İstanbul's Boğaziçi University, where a controversial cleric was scheduled to speak.

The demonstration, which took place on the university’s North Campus, targeted Nureddin Yıldız, a cleric known for legitimizing violence against women and child marriage.

The protest was sparked by an event organized by the Boğaziçi University Islamic Studies Club (BİSAK), which announced Yıldız as a guest speaker. Yıldız, who heads the Social Fabric Foundation (Sosyal Doku Vakfı), an Islamic group, has drawn criticism for public statements defending domestic violence against women and child marriage. In response, students organized a demonstration to denounce the university’s decision to host him.

At around 5.30 pm local time, students assembled in front of the North Pyramid to read out a statement condemning the event. They chanted slogans such as “Yıldız, get off my campus!”, “This blockade will be broken: Council of Higher Education, police, media!”, “Where were the police when women were dying?”, and “No to sharia, fascism, and darkness!”

After reading their statement, the students attempted to march to the North Park building, where the event was to take place. Private security blocked access to the building. Police forces then entered the campus.

Around 7.30 pm, police warned the students to disperse and "not to harm security personnel." As students pushed against the police barricade, officers began to use force to disperse them. During the altercation, a group of students and T24 news site reporter Can Öztürk were surrounded and eventually apprehended.

A heavy police presence remained on campus for hours. Riot police and private security forces also gathered at the North Gate to prevent students from leaving the university grounds.

Meanwhile, tensions rose outside the campus between students and members of the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Youth Organization (Büyük Doğu Akıncıları Gençlik Teşkilâtı), an Islamist youth group that had assembled to attend the event but was not allowed to enter the campus.

As police allowed students to exit in small, controlled groups, a woman leaving the campus alone was reportedly assaulted by members of the Islamist group. Following the incident, students confronted the riot police, asking, “Isn’t there a single officer here to protect women?”

Students also reported that police prevented them from delivering a sanitary pad to a student trapped inside the blockade.

While clashes continued outside, the event with Yıldız proceeded as planned. A group of students affiliated with the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) managed to sneak into the hall and threw eggs at Yıldız in protest.

Video capturing moments of TİP members' protest:

Boğaziçi Üniversitesine konuşmacı olarak getirilen gerici Nurettin Yıldız'ı protesto eden sıra arkadaşımız darp edilerek salondan çıkarıldı.

Utancınızı salonların, duvarların ardına saklayamazsınız: Gericilerle ve onların koruyucularıyla hesaplaşacağız! pic.twitter.com/xiARMQV65U

— TİP'li Öğrenciler (@tipliogrencilr) May 13, 2025

On May 12, the day before the event, another group of TİP students wrote “No to fascism, no to sharia” on the BİSAK clubroom. The university's trustee-appointed administration announced via the Boğaziçi University Media Center’s X account that it would file a criminal complaint over the incident.

In its statement, the Media Center said, “Boğaziçi University is an institution grounded in freedom of thought and expression, prioritizing pluralism and participation. Any attempt by a group to exert control through violence, pressure, or hate speech will find no support among the university community or administration.”

The İstanbul Governor’s Office issued a statement at night, saying, “A group that gathered inside Boğaziçi University’s North Campus to obstruct a student club activity attacked the riot police units.” Thirteen officers sustained minor injuries and 97 protesters were taken into custody, it added. (NK/Mİ/VK)