Police detain protesters opposing imams in Turkish schools

Members of the Turkish Workers Party (TIP) in Eskisehir gathered to protest the protocol signed between the education directorate and the office of the Mufti regarding the delivery of lectures by imams on "spiritual values" in schools. The group, carrying banners, intended to make a statement, but the police intervened and prevented them from doing so.

According to a report by DHA, the police attempted to encircle the group and detained eight people by using physical force and taken to the police station for questioning.

Under the protocol signed between the two sides, imams were deployed to all high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, and even in kindergartens "to instill national, spiritual, ethical, humane, and cultural values in students.”

The move received harsh condemnation from bar associations and trade unions, emphasizing human rights violations and encroachment on authority. The matter had also been brought up in the Parliament.