At least 50,000 people joined a protest by Turkey's main opposition CHP in Ankara Sunday ahead of a key court hearing that could oust the party's leadership, the organisers and AFP correspondents said.

The protesters packed into the Turkish capital's vast Tandogan Square in a massive show of defiance on the eve of the hearing at an Ankara court, with CHP's vice president Murat Bakan giving a figure of 50,000.

AFP correspondents at the scene said many tens of thousands were packed into the square, waving Turkish flags and wearing t-shirts of the Turkish republic's founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

In a speech from the podium, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said the crowd had gathered to "stand against the (judicial) coup" being waged against the party, referring to Monday's court hearing th

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