Since last Friday (August 2), Instagram has been banned in Turkey. Yesterday (August 5), President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made his first public comments since the ban entered effect, accusing the platform of ‘digital fascism’ related to the alleged censoring of content related to the recent assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Speaking at a Monday meeting of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdoğan accused Instagram of being “unable to tolerate photos of Palestinian martyrs,” and “launching a war against the Palestinian people.”
Additionally, Erdoğan accused social media platforms of adhering faithfully to ‘rules’ in American and European cultures, while failing to practice the same sensitivity when it comes to Turkey.
Although the alleged censoring of content related to Haniyeh’s assassination has not been explicitly announced as the cause for the ban, Erdoğan’s comments Monday as well as those last week by his communications director Fahrettin Altun have heavily implied that this is the reason.
In a July 31 post on social media prior to the implementation of the ban, Altun wrote:
“I strongly condemn the social media platform Instagram, which has prevented people from expressing their condolences on the martyrdom of Haniye without giving us any reason. This is a clear and obvious attempt at censorship.”
In his remarks Monday, Erdoğan rejected accusations that the Instagram ban was a restriction on freedom of expression, saying:
“As a government, we have absolutely no problem with anyone’s personal freedom, freedom of expression, or lifestyle. Once Turkey’s demands are met and our sensitivities are treated with respect, then the issue will be swiftly resolved.”
Representatives from Meta, Instagram’s parent company, are reportedly in talks with Turkish authorities in order to lift the ban.
Erdoğan also took aim at Turkish citizens protesting the ban, using a racial slur to refer to those Turks who “sit at their computer screens on these social media platforms and complain about Turkey to the West.” The racial slur used by the president, ‘ev zencisi’, refers to black servants and slaves in the Ottoman Empire who were assigned to domestic work.
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By Leo Kendrick
