It is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize peace.
– Aristotle
The above words, spoken by the great Greek philosopher Aristotle, highlights a deep and timeless truth. War isn’t something to be glorified by who wins or loses; rather, it’s about what follows after the conflict. What’s the use of a war if it only brings more unrest, suffering, and chaos? That’s where peace comes in. Organizing peace is far more important than just celebrating victory. With this thought in mind, we can clearly understand that the ongoing Pokémon protests taking place worldwide is not a violent one but certainly a very important one.
So now let’s dive deep into what the Pokémon protest actually is and what is going on globally-
To begin with, protests erupted in Turkey on the 19th of March, 2025, after a shocking move by the authorities. The Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, was detained and arrested along with more than 100 other opposition members and protestors. The main concern is, why was this done? What led to such extreme action by the government?
Mr. İmamoğlu, who had already served as Mayor of Istanbul, was re-elected twice. He has long been looked upon as the leader of Turkey’s largest and most economically significant city. On March 19th, he was arrested at his residence by multiple police officers after state authorities accused him of corruption, mismanagement of municipal business, and most severely of supporting terrorism. Following these accusations, the government quickly expelled him from office and imprisoned him.
To control the growing unrest, the Turkish government enforced strict bans on protests in major cities, limited access to popular social media sites, and attempted other measures to restrict the voices of its people. But the question is, is this the right way to handle public outrage?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!
In any democracy, people must be allowed to express their opinions. Stopping them from doing so is nothing but an act of dictatorship. And in today’s modern world, dictatorship is not something that can or should be TOLERATED.
One of the main reasons for his arrest is believed to be political rivalry. İmamoğlu is seen as the strongest opposition figure to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Many believe that the arrest was not actually because of the charges filed, but because of this political competition. İmamoğlu himself has publicly said that his arrest is “politically motivated” and has “no proper ground”.
Even his wife, Dilek İmamoğlu, joined the protest and voiced her support loudly. She encouraged the protestors by saying, “We will keep fighting and fighting.” This clearly shows the amount of public anger and determination among the citizens, and how the issue is no longer limited to a local political affair but is gaining national and even international importance.
Now, the interesting question arises—what is the role of Pokémon or Pikachu, a cartoon character from our childhood, in this serious political matter?
It all started when a video clip that went viral on social media. A protester dressed in a full Pikachu costume was seen being chased by the police on the streets of Istanbul. That one image which seemed funny at first, but was extremely powerful has caught everyone’s attention. Soon, this Pikachu figure became a symbol of resistance. Across social media platforms, it became the face of the protest, making it reach beyond Turkey’s borders.
The protests quickly expanded across continents. In the United States, thousands of protestors used the same Pikachu symbol to stand up against the federal policies of Donald Trump and his close billionaire ally, Elon Musk. The character, originally intended for entertainment, now carried a deeper meaning, “the power to resist”.
Pikachu stands as a metaphor for Resistance
Why did people choose Pikachu? The answer lies in its mass popularity. Everyone knows Pikachu. It’s cute, iconic, and harmless in appearance, which makes it hard for governments to crack down on people dressed like it without drawing mockery or attention. In a way, using a character like Pikachu is a smart move, as we all know, ‘modern problems need modern solutions’.
When people are not allowed to protest in the traditional ways, they look for alternatives that are peaceful but powerful.
The protestor in the Pikachu suit, sprinting through the streets while police arrested demonstrators, quickly went viral. This made it very difficult for the government to push the narrative that the protestors were violent or dangerous. It turned into a form of creative resistance. Instead of citizens fighting back with force, they were using symbols and imagination and that too became extremely powerful.
Over generations, methods of protest have changed. During India’s independence movement, there were people who followed peaceful methods and also those who believed in more radical steps. But they only had access to newspapers, and even that came with delays of days or even weeks. Today, with social media and instant digital communication, people anywhere in the world can see what’s happening in another part of the globe, even Antarctica.
So when people saw Pikachu as part of this protest, they instantly related. It made the cause easier to connect with because people are emotionally attached to characters they grew up with. That is how movements grow today not just with slogans, but with symbols and innovation.
Even literature shows us how effective that can be. Citing George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” and “1984” for example. Orwell didn’t simply criticize the government directly. Instead, he created characters animals and symbols that stood for political systems, dictatorship, and societal control. “Big Brother is watching you” became a symbol of surveillance and fear. In Animal Farm, the animals that fought for equality ended up creating their own oppressive regime. These metaphors became stronger.
So, what we see today is just another version of that. People are using Pikachu as a metaphor—a symbol to represent their struggle. It may seem unusual at first glance, but once you understand it deeply, it’s a brilliant, peaceful, and effective way to make a statement.