Foreign Journalists Called Conspirators in Turkish Protests
Journalists working for foreign news agencies in Turkey are accused of being global conspirators to foment mass protests in accusations sometimes laced with anti-Semitism.
“Journalist at BBC. Theater enthusiast. Rock music fan.” This is how Selin Girit, a respected Turkish reporter for the BBC, describes herself on her Twitter profile. But the Turkish authorities have labeled Girit a “foreign agent” and a “traitor to her country” in line with a new and chilling campaign against foreign journalists covering the mass anti-government protests that have been rocking Turkey.
The accusations against Girit were first leveled by Ankara’s longtime mayor, Ibrahim Melih Gokcek. On June 23, Gokcek, a member of the ruling Islam-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), shared a series of inflammatory messages targeting the journalist with his 700,000+ Twitter followers.
“Who is @selingirit, BBC’s reporter in Turkey?” he asked before claiming, “Led by England, they are trying to collapse our economy via hired agents, both nationally and internationally. They are dreaming for Turkey to be the ‘sick man of Europe’ once again.” Gokcek then called on his fans to “show your democratic reaction” by popularizing the Turkish hashtag #ingiltereadinaajanlikyapmaselingirit, which roughly means “Don’t spy on behalf of England, Selin Girit.” The hashtag went viral in Turkey but within hours, a counter-campaign with the hashtag #provokatormelihgokcek, or “Melih Gokcek the provocateur,” began top trending globally.
Hardly a day passes without one foreign media outlet or another being blamed for the protests that began over a development project in Istanbul’s Taksim Square and swiftly morphed into a mass outpouring of anti-government feelings. The chorus of accusations is being led Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who depicts the protesters as “terrorists” and the media as their “pawns.” Reuters, the BBC and CNN are frequently named. Few have been spared for covering the protests as Turkey’s self-censoring news channels looked the other way. A growing number of resident foreign correspondents are voicing unease.
