Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has referred to student protesters as ‘terrorists’, claiming that the LGBTQ movement is incompatible with Turkey’s ‘national and spiritual values’. The catalyst for the protesters - most of whom are students - was President Erdogan’s appointment of a political ally, Mehli Bulu, as a university rector. For the first time since 1980, the rector of the prestigious Bogazici University - often called the ‘Turkish Harvard’ - has been appointed from outside the university community, an action criticised by protesters as ‘undemocratic’.
In one of the largest demonstrations that the country has seen since the 2013 Gezi Park protests, police have used tear gas and rubber bullets against the protesters, 300 of whom have been detained so far.
Protests have been going on for a month, but tensions have risen in the past few days. Many protesters call for support from fellow citizens, while President Erdogan insists that these protests have nothing to with freedom of expression and are instead inciting hatred within the country.
Written by Sufia Jafri
Artwork by Zara Masood
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