The airing of the third episode of Kızıl Goncalar (Scarlett Carnations), a controversial Turkish TV series, has been cancelled following multiple fines from Turkey’s Radio and Television High Council (RTÜK).
The series focuses on differences between secular and conservative lifestyles, and had already made headlines in late December for a double-fine it received from RTÜK for a scene deemed ‘derogatory to national and moral values’.
Following these steep fines, the series’ third installment did not air last night (January 8) on Turkey’s FOX TV network.
The series explores the intertwining fates of Levent (Özcan Deniz), a secularist, and Meryem (Özgü Namal), member of a conservative religious sect; story which quickly earned ire of conservatives for it’s portrayal of religious sects. Several instances of compulsory Quranic studies, arranged marriages, and various other scenes have led numerous religious conservatives to contend that the show runners purposefully depict Islam in a negative manner.
Reaction from producers
The series’ creator Faruk Turgut tweeted Monday afternoon saying: “There will be no broadcast tonight. The courts have approved RTÜK’s request to stop the broadcast. We cannot broadcast Kızıl Goncalar at this time.”
A further tweet from the show’s director Ömür Atay read: “There will be no broadcast tonight. Nearly no one from the industry has spoken out against this censorship. This is a censorship operation being carried out against free thought and creativity. We are on the set and will continue to tell our story and film the series. Greetings to all of our viewers.”
Börek scene sparks controversy
The controversial scene believed to be the cause of the show’s fines and cancellation involves a young woman named Meryem who begins work in a börek (Turkish pastry) shop. Upon realizing that the pastry shop does not use a ‘special butter’ advertised on the outside of the shop, Meryem confronts the shop’s owner, who advises the young woman to continue making the pastry using the cheaper butter, not the special one advertised. She protests, saying she will only continue if the ‘special butter’ sign on the outside of the shop is removed, for which she is fired; a decision just as puzzling to most Turkish audiences.
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İstanbul mayoral candidate’s wife heads RTÜK monitoring board
Over the weekend, member of parliament Murat Kurum was named by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) as the party’s İstanbul mayoral candidate for Turkey’s upcoming local elections in March 2024. Turkey’s ruling party seeks to retake control of Turkey’s largest city following their election loss to opposition mayor Erkem İmamoğlu in 2019.
Following the controversy surrounding the Kızıl Goncalar series, the high position in RTÜK occupied by the mayoral candidate’s wife, Şengül, once again drew attention. Şengül Kurum serves on RTÜK’s Department for Monitoring and Evaluation, the board responsible for evaluating Turkish television shows. A mathematics teacher by training, she was promoted to the position in 2021.
Written/translated by Leo Kendrick
