Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the calls, accusing the suspects of inciting “hatred and discrimination”, Anadolu said, adding that authorities were seeking five additional suspects.

The leader of the main opposition CHP party called for the purchase boycott yesterday to put more pressure on the government after the March 19 arrest of Istanbul’s popular mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Imamoglu is the main rival to President Recip Tayyip Erdogan, and his detention set off a wave of mass protests not seen in Turkey for more than a decade.

Nearly 2,000 people, including several hundred students and young people, have been arrested since the start of the protests.

Some cafes, restaurants and bars heeded the boycott call and remained closed yesterday in Istanbul as well as in the capital Ankara, AFP journalists reported.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel had already launched a call to boycott dozens of Turkish companies and groups reputed to be close to Erdogan’s government.