[12] In a shared statement, faculty regarded the appointment as a violation of "academic freedom and scientific autonomy, as well as the democratic values" of the Boğaziçi.

[17] Protests outside the rector's office continued into February at the hand of students and faculty,[18][19] whose demonstration was later supported by various other Turkish universities and international associations of Boğaziçi alumni opposing the appointment.

[22] In his Twitter account, Turkish Ministry of Interior Süleyman Soylu referred to the apprehended students as "four LGBT perverts", causing his tweet to be restricted later on.

"[25] On 1 February, police blocked the gate of the South Campus to prevent further demonstrations, deploying to that end both a water cannon and barricades.

[31][32][33] On 2 February, Turkish police arrested and detained another 104 protestors near a university in Kadıköy, and suppressed the demonstrators using tear gas and rubber bullets.

[44] The protests at the university are still ongoing, and its development has been commented on by several renowned Turkish figures, including composer Fazıl Say and writer Orhan Pamuk, in a joint statement declaring that the interventions "will destroy the democratic values of Boğaziçi University, resulting in diminished academic excellence that will lead to perhaps irreversible public damage.

[47][48] MHP chairman Devlet Bahçeli stated in a written statement that the rector was appointed by legal means and that the issue was closed to discussion.

[52] Canan Kaftancıoğlu, the chairwoman of the CHP branch in Istanbul, also spoke in solidarity towards the manifestations, prompting president Erdoğan to call her "a terrorist of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front."