Turkey fires… The flames of “Twitter” blaze curls Erdogan’s face
Between the flames of Turkey’s forest fires and grisly tweets, President Recep Erdogan’s government finds itself between two fires, with no power to extinguish them.
As the largest wildfire in Turkey’s modern history has spread, the hashtag #helpTurkey has sparked controversy on Twitter, amid speculation of manipulation.
The Public Prosecution has called for an investigation into the “hashtag” that has sparked new controversy in the divided country, where the slightest event could sway supporters and opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The hashtag caused outrage from the Turkish President, who is facing one of his biggest crises since taking power 18 years ago, because his country has asked for help; He described tweets related to the hashtag as “intimidating with lies transmitted from America, Europe and other specific places” that he did not define.
At the same time, the General Prosecutor’s Office has indicated that it will open an investigation to determine whether the tweets are intended to “cause concern, fear and panic among the population and insult the Turkish government.”
The media regulator threatened to fine TV stations that continue to broadcast live pictures of the fires and to publish articles that it said “provoke the fear and anxiety of the population,” which the majority of channels complied with, reducing their coverage of the fires that killed eight people and affected large areas of forests along the coast.
Erdogan’s Detachment from Reality
“The government was criticized when it emerged that Turkey no longer had a functioning water bomber and rejected several offers of foreign assistance, including that of regional adversary Greece, while Erdogan’s behavior seemed detached from reality.”
Erdogan’s visit to the fire-affected areas in a heavily guarded police vehicle equipped with loudspeakers, from which he was filmed throwing bags of tea at residents in the middle of the night, has sparked a new social media debate.
Repression of social networks
The hashtag controversy comes in the context of tighter censorship of social media, where vital debate is still possible in a country where pro-government media is dominant.
After initially being refused, the most prominent social media sites, including Twitter and Facebook, complied with the new laws that require these networks to have a representative in the country and comply with the orders of the Turkish courts which require withdrawal of certain content within 48 hours.
Erdogan announced a new law regulating social networks in parliament in October, but gave no details on how it would be implemented.
Digital law expert Yeman Akdeniz questioned the fake accounts in an interview with Agence France-Presse, pointing out that “while the debate is taking place on social media, the fires are in fact continuing.”
The digital expert added: “In fact (…) our government mechanism is experiencing serious operational problems and will undoubtedly include a new crime and then a new law on disinformation, with the aim of further muzzling critical voices on social networks.”
