On 19 March, protests were organised by university students following the operation against Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. While violanece, sexual harassment and torture were committed by the police against the participants of the protests, hundreds of people were detained during the protests and house raids. 

 

While 301 of those detained were arrested, students at many universities decided to boycott classes and exams. At Yildiz Technical University (YTU), where midterm exams started, students protested the arrest of students by hanging a note on the desks saying, "This space is reserved for our colleagues who were arrested for exercising their constitutional rights! #academia is in boycott".