Inserts:
00:00 Ankara / May 24, 2026 
00:03 Report / Julia Hahn
00:19 Julia Hahn / DW Correspondent / Istanbul 
00:37 Nacho Sanchez Amor / Rapporteur on Turkey European Parliament  

Script:

police storming CHP HQ in Ankara  

+++ATMO
These scenes have shocked many across Turkey. 

Riot police seen forcing their way into the headquarters of the CHP — 

the country's largest opposition party.  

They use water cannons and tear gas against the party's resisting supporters. 

+++ Julia ON + EU tweet //

But apart from a few tweets and statements expressing concern,  
 
Europe's response has been remarkably restrained. 
 
Why? 

+++ Set up Nacho + Julia 
 
Nacho Sanchez Amor is the European Parliament's lead expert on Turkey.  

He's been tracking the country's democratic record,  
 
and its long-stalled bid to join the European Union. 

+++ SOT Nacho Sanchez Amor / Rapporteur on Turkey, European Parliament (English) 
The silence is the result of a bad assessment of the whole relation with Turkey. [...] The level of repression is so blatantly clear. That is not a minor signal of going backwards. It's a trend. +++ (15 sec)

+++ Julia ON - insert not needed here again

The confrontation did not come out of nowhere. 

Opposition parties in Turkey have faced years of mounting pressure. 

+++ OFF Opposition protests and clashes with police, Ozel – Kilicdaroglu, Imamoglu 

A controversial court ruling in May is merely the latest flashpoint.  
 
It removed CHP leader Ozgur Ozel and reinstated former chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who lost the 2023 presidential election to Erdogan.

Critics see the decision as part of a wider crackdown on the opposition. 

In the past two years, hundreds of CHP politicians and officials have been arrested over alleged corruption charges, among them Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.  

He was widely regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strongest challenger. 
 
+++ Julia ON + EU flag and TR flag - no insert for Julia needed here

But Turkey is still officially a candidate for EU membership. 

So, what's driving Europe's silence? 

+++ Erdoğan at NATO summit, Turkish military, DW Map, European leaders

Part of the answer is geopolitics. 

Turkey has NATO's second-largest military  

and controls access to the Black Sea —  

crucial in the EU's security calculations as Russia's war against Ukraine continues. 

Many European governments increasingly see Ankara as strategically indispensable. 

+++ SOT Nacho Sanchez Amor / Rapporteur on Turkey, European Parliament (English) 
Turkey is a very important country for many aspects and many parts of our relations. And one of these parts is security and defense. +++ (8 sec)  

+++ Julia ON - no insert needed here
A decade ago, European leadership was far more vocal about Turkey's democratic backsliding. 

But today, priorities have shifted. 

+++ OFF Photos

Energy security, migration, regional conflicts — these concerns now dominate the  
 
relationship between Brussels and Ankara. 

And that appears to give President Erdogan more room to maneuver. 
 
+++ SOT Nacho Sanchez Amor / Rapporteur on Turkey, European Parliament (English) 
This is about blindness. Our blindness is requested by the Turks: "Please, let's talk about security and defense, let's talk about pipelines, let's talk about custom unions. But please don't look to the prisons, don't look to the civil society, don't look to the journalists, don't look to the LGBT people, don't look to the universities." +++ (22 sec) 

+++ Opposition protest Istanbul 28.05.2026 / 
 
For many opposition supporters, the silence is felt on the ground. 

+++ VOX Woman (Turkish) 
Europe needs to support the people in this country. We have members of parliament, mayors, students who were detained — they're throwing everyone who speaks out into jail. +++ (13 sec) 

+++ VOX Man (Turkish) 
They [European governments] are acting pragmatically, prioritizing their own national interests. But we, as the Turkish people, feel like we've been left alone. +++ (10 sec)

+++ Erdogan speech 01.06.2026 - no insert needed 

President Erdogan portrays the CHP's crisis as an internal party conflict.  

His government rejects accusations it is using the courts to target political opponents and that it is moving away from democratic norms.

Observers disagree.  

+++ SOT Nacho Sanchez Amor / Rapporteur on Turkey, European Parliament (English) 
The European Union is still a club of democracies. [...] And for that reason, we have to repeat to the Turkish authorities: If you want to really join the European Union, this is not about military power, this is not about geopolitics, this is not about trade. This is about democracy. +++ (14 sec) 

+++ Julia OFF > ON Opposition protest images – no insert 

For many here in Turkey, the concerns now go far beyond one opposition party. 

What will the next elections look like if the pressure continues? 

And will Europe find its voice again? 

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