Turkish social media as mouthpieces for hatred and incitement

On November 1, 2015, after six months of governmental instability, the Turkish people returned the ‎Justice and Development Party (AKP) – the home of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that is currently headed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu – to power. Judging from comments on social networking sites (SNS), the decisive victory of the AKP, which gave it a parliamentary majority, surprised even its supporters. Conversely, the bitter disappointment of the defeated opposition parties was also clearly felt.

There are several reasons why voters returned to the ruling AKP, including the inability of other parties to put together an opposing bloc against the AKP following the previous elections, a lack of economic stability, and the series of attacks that shook the country in recent months. In addition, it seems that opposition supporters’ expressions of arrogance towards the AKP voters catalyzed its renewed strength, paving the way for restoring one-party rule. In the weeks preceding the elections SNS were flooded with photos that showed supporters of AKP as a witless flock. A good example is the cover of the strongly Kemalist newspaper Sözcü, which is known for its intense criticism of the government. The cover features the image of a brain and a warning to voters not to forget “to bring your sense when you vote.” Images like this were greeted enthusiastically by opposition supporters, but had the opposite effect among many unsure of their support for AKP, reinforcing these voters' resolve to support the ruling party, if only to punish the arrogant opposition.

Even after the publication of the results, when it became clear that AKP had increased from 258 seats to 317 seats (i.e., it won 49.48% of the votes), opponents of the government did not alter their insulting style. For example, they spread the famous statement of the late Turkish intellectual Aziz Nesin, who claimed, “60% of Turkish people are retarded” (pictured). Nesin’s name and face rapidly went viral on Twitter and Facebook.[1] In response, the government’s supporters called the citizens who did not vote for the AKP “retarded,” and noted with satisfaction that there has been a decline in the number of “retards” since the previous elections.[2]

Tensions reached a new peak on November 10, the anniversary of the death of the Republic’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. As every year, many Kemalists and citizens who wish to honor his memory published pictures of Atatürk on SNS, alongside words in his memory. Unsurprisingly, this gesture led to hostility from some segments of the public. The television channel associated with the Islamic newspaper Yeni Akit, which is known for its anti-Kemalist (and anti-Semitic) positions, broadcast a program in which the announcer welcomed Atatürk's death and described it as, “the end of [the era of] suffering”. From a Kemalist perspective, this statement crossed all boundaries; Kemalists responded with the slogan “Curse you, Akit” on SNS, and a few even filed lawsuits against the newspaper for desecration of the memory of Atatürk (under a law from 1951).[3]

Among opponents of memorializing Mustafa Kemal, some users expressed indignation at the title “Atatürk,” which means “Father of the Turks.” These users, whose position is actually supported by President Erdoğan, claim that Mustafa Kemal was indeed a leader and commander worthy of respect and honor, but the patriarchs of the Turks are the Ottomans, not Mustafa Kemal, who founded the Republic. As President Erdoğan persisted in refraining from using the appellation “Atatürk,” so the preoccupation of SNS with this issue increased. While Kemalists spread the image of Atatürk on SNS accompanied by the slogan "Without you we would not be” (left panel in the image), their opponents responded by replacing the image of Atatürk with the Arabic letter “vav و” a symbol of the Prophet Muhammad (center panel in the image) and repeated the same slogan that was used for Atatürk. Verbal skirmishes between the two blocs broke records on SNS, following the cynical exploitation of a poster by Turkish condom company O.K., to which opponents of Kemalists added the caption: “If we were there, you wouldn’t be.” [4]

The exchange of insults did not stop even when ISIS shocked the world on the night of November 13 with its murderous terrorist attacks in Paris. On the one hand, many Turkish users changed their profile picture to a French flag and expressed solidarity with the French people; condemnations and curses against ISIS flooded SNS in Turkey, as they did elsewhere.[5] On the other hand, there was also considerable criticism of Western leaders, who were accused of being two-faced, because only attacks on a Western symbol, like Paris or New York, woke the world from its slumber and prompted action against terrorism.[6] This criticism was joined by even harsher condemnations on SNS, which likened the iconic Eiffel Tower to a sexual symbol penetrating traitors who did not express sadness after the attack in Ankara on October 10, 2015, but were now grieving with the French.[7] At the same time, there were also demonstrations of support for ISIS on SNS, including expressions of satisfaction with the number of fatalities and conveying hope that ISIS personnel would return to the streets of Paris in 2016, to kill more “Christian terrorists.” These users also participated in the circles of incitement on SNS, and contemptuously derided the Turkish users who expressed their solidarity with the French.[8] Moreover, anti-Semitic incitement did not disappear. A cartoon circulated after the terrorist attacks in Paris depicted Rothschild Bank as a pig suckling ISIS - written beneath the name of the Israeli Mossad - Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and the major Western intelligence agencies (pictured).[9]

In summary, the Turkish SNS are currently providing a platform for violent and belligerent discourse that slaughters sacred cows and attacks all sectors of the population. Even the attack in Paris, which was perceived, around the globe, as a battle of civilizations and a conflict pitting the “forces of good” against “the forces of evil,” did not bridge the extreme polarization in Turkish society. Hatred and incitement on SNS have, therefore, the effect of a snowball rolling down steep slope. Only time will tell how large it will eventually become.