University students camp in parks to protest rent hikes

With universities resuming in-person education next month, a growing number of students in Turkey are camping out in urban parks to protest what they say is a lack of affordable housing near their universities, writes Diego Cupolo for Al-Monitor.

Demonstrators claim recent rent hikes coupled with limited dormitory capacity are putting pressure on students as well as renters in urban areas across the country. The protests materialised with student-led camping events in Istanbul and have since expanded to multiple cities, including Izmir, Kocaeli and Ankara, where police detained nine protesters on the night of 20 September.

The developments highlight soaring rent prices in Turkey, where apartment rates grew an average of 55% over the last year and consumers continue to face high inflation that has increased their cost of living. In response to rising costs, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government would work to control price increases on both food and rental units.
Full report on the Al-Monitor site