“Resistance is everywhere,” chanted many among the hundreds of thousands of attendees at Saturday’s (March 29) “Freedom for Imamoglu” rally on the outskirts of Istanbul.

Given the strength and uncompromising nature of Turkey’s ruling regime, it will probably have to be if anti-Erdogan Turks are to stand a chance of toppling the country’s leader of 22 years, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and making his jailed main rival Ekrem Imamoglu president—and among happenings so far, there are some signs that the campaign could become multi-faceted. Momentum, though, will be all.

Apart from street protests and rallies, moves have been initiated to boycott the products of companies seen as close to Erdogan, urge students to walk out of lectures at universities and ensure that protests continue to take place in towns and cities across Turkey.

Saturday’s gathering was located on a seafront periphery of Istanbul in Maltepe district, but the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said it would aim to have one big gathering every week in the centre of Istanbul outside municipal headquarters and weekly Saturday rallies, moving from location to location around the country for weeks to come.

Speaking to Le Monde on Saturday, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel noted that a ban was placed on demonstrations after Imamoglu’s March 19 detention, but said he was prepared to “take the risk of spending eight or 10 years in prison if necessary”.

“Because if we don't repel this coup attempt [aimed at denying people the right to elect Imamoglu], the ballot box will be over,” he said.

At the Maltepe district gathering, Imamoglu addressed the crowd in a read-out letter, calling for unity against his "unlawful" arrest.

"I am not afraid at all. Because our dear nation is united," he wrote from his high-security cell. "We will not bow to tyranny. From my endless cell, I cry out: The nation is great."

"With every move he makes against me, Erdogan shows that he is someone who runs away from elections and is afraid of his opponent," the letter continued.

Imamoglu's wife, Dilek, was also at the protest with her and her husband’s two sons. She told the crowd: "We will keep fighting and fighting."

Since March 19, nearly 2,000 people have been detained amid the protests, including many journalists. Lawyer Ferhat Guzel said 511 students had been arrested in Istanbul alone as of Friday, with 275 still in detention, Middle East Eye reported.

Bunyamin Turan, a retired teacher who attended the Saturday event, told Reuters: "When we look at the history of humanity, in all countries, all administrations, all regimes where there was such oppression, sooner or later, the people and those who resisted the oppression have won. The real owners of those countries won."

"If justice is silent, the people will speak," said one banner held aloft in the crowd.

Erdogan has rejected the protests as a "show", warned of legal consequences and told the CHP to stop "provoking" Turks.

Still, there are some rumours circulating that the regime is shocked by the scale of the protests that it has provoked with the arrest and prosecution of Imamoglu.