Turkish riot police enter the headquarters of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) to evict its ousted leadership, after authorities ordered enforcement of a court ruling removing the party’s leadership from the building, in Ankara, Turkey, May 24, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Efekan Akyuz

Israel on Monday accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of “crushing” democracy in his own country, lambasting Ankara’s use of police force against political opposition figures.

“The free world and the self-appointed guardians of democracy and human rights remain silent as Erdogan’s regime crushes Turkish democracy in broad daylight,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted on social media. “Opposition parties raided. Critics silenced. So much for defending democratic values.”

The free world and the self-appointed guardians of democracy and human rights remain silent as Erdoğan’s regime crushes Turkish democracy in broad daylight.

Opposition parties raided. Critics silenced.

So much for defending democratic values.pic.twitter.com/7z6GNAQCKB

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 25, 2026

The post came one day after Turkish riot police forced their way into the main opposition party’s headquarters to evict its ousted leadership.

Police stormed the Republican People’s Party (CHP) building in Ankara, the Turkish capital, firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters and officials who had barricaded themselves inside and were shouting and throwing objects at the entrance.

There were no reports of injuries.

A Turkish court ousted CHP leader Ozgur Ozel on Thursday, annulling the results of the 2023 party congress where he was elected chairman, citing irregularities in a ruling that dealt a major blow to Erdogan’s challengers and posed a test for democracy in Turkey, a NATO ally.

Following last week’s decision, Ankara’s governor on Sunday ordered the eviction of those inside the headquarters.

In Ozel’s place, the court reinstated former CHP chair Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who lost to Erdogan in a 2023 national election.

“We are under attack,” Ozel said in a video message shared on social media as the riot police entered. After security forces stormed the building, he vowed that the CHP would now be “on the streets, in the squares, marching towards power.”

Ozel then led supporters on a march to the Turkish parliament, where he made a speech to thousands of people.

“Until this struggle frees the party from occupation, our headquarters is here,” Ozel told the crowd before entering the assembly. CHP lawmakers on Saturday elected him as leader of the party’s parliamentary group.

The ousted CHP leadership condemned the court ruling as a “judicial coup,” arguing Erdogan’s government has been targeting his political opponents through the judiciary. Turkish authorities countered that the judiciary is independent and that it is not using the courts to undermine the opposition.

Turkey’s next national election is set for 2028.

Erdogan, a fierce critic of Israel who has long supported the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, began serving as prime minister on Turkey in 2003, before becoming president in 2014. He then consolidated power under an executive presidency approved in a 2017 referendum.

Reuters contributed to this report.