The Friday rally in support of the editor-in- chief and Ankara editor of the Cumhuriyet newspaper in the Turkish capital was attended by about 1,000 people accusing the government of attempting to cover up the weapons scandal by silencing the critics and the press. “Shoulder-to-shoulder against fascism,” the crowd chanted.

About 2,000 people gathered near the Cumhuriyet office in Istanbul to demonstrate their solidarity with the arrested journalists. The protesters filled the yard and the street outside the newspaper’s office chanting, “Free press cannot be silenced.”

“It was just like a bomb exploding in Ankara… and [many] organizations around the country called just one day off,” one of the protesters told RT commenting on the arrests. “Society is ready to explode at any moment,” he added.

Some demonstrators also chanted “Murderer Erdogan,” accusing the Turkish president as well as the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of cooperating with Islamic State terrorist group. Some people also held Friday’s edition of Cumhuriyet newspaper with a front-page headline reading “Black Day for the press,” Reuters reported.