Calls on Erdogan to quit reverberate around Turkish football stadia in rare protest
Simmering anger over the Turkish government’s response to this month’s devastating earthquakes spilled into football stadiums over the weekend when thousands of fans called on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to step down.
“Lies, lies and more lies, it has been 20 years, resign,” chanted thousands of Fenerbahce fans during a match against Konyaspor on Saturday, according to footage of the game. The next day, supporters of rival Besiktas shouted “government resign,” videos circulating on Twitter and other social media platforms showed.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu warned fans against testing the government’s tolerance, while Erdogan’s nationalist ally Devlet Bahceli urged club presidents to prevent a repeat of such scenes by playing matches without spectators. The rare public outcry against Erdogan’s leadership is clouding the outlook for elections slated for May, when the president is looking to extend his record rule into a third decade.
“Sports fields are not political fields. Sports competitions are not centers of policy making,” Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu said on Monday. “Provocations will never be allowed,” he said, warning against hindering “unity and solidarity.
Disaster response
Erdogan, who is prioritizing the quick reconstruction of leveled cit-ies in the runup to the vote, is facing criticism over alleged delays in the government’s response to the disaster, in which more than 44,000 people died in Turkey alone. One of the country’s state-run relief organizations, Turkish Red Crescent, is accused of selling tents to a civilian non-governmental organization instead of dispatching them to the quake zone. The group says they were sold at cost.
Erdogan has acknowledged initial challenges in responding to the devastation caused by what he described as the “worst disaster of the last century.” The government and all relief organizations were eventually fully mobilized, he said.
In a display of national solidarity with quake victims, Besiktas fans showered the team’s Istanbul pitch with thousands of toys and scarfs to benefit children affected by the temblors during Sunday evening’s match with Antalyaspor.
Vodafone Park was packed with 40,000 fans, many of whom responded to the club’s request to bring toys to the stadium. The match had been postponed from November due to a terror attack on Istanbul’s landmark Istiklal Street.
The game was paused at the 4:17 mark to remember the earthquake.
Supporters also paid tribute to the tens of thousands victims prior to kick off. The dead include footballers Christian Atsu and Ahmet Eyup Turkaslan, and some players broke down in tears on the field during the ceremony.
The toys were gathered up by staff and will be sent to the areas impacted by the disaster.
Read more:
‘We will rebuild,’ Turkish President Erdogan pledges as rescue work winds down
Turkey’s Erdogan faces crescendo of criticism over quake response
Turkey’s Erdogan acknowledges ‘shortcomings’ in earthquake response
-
‘We will rebuild,’ Turkish President Erdogan pledges as rescue work winds down
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to press on with rescue and recovery efforts more than a week after a powerful quake ripped through his ... Middle East -
Earthquake compounds Turkish leader Erdogan’s woes as election nears
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power 20 years ago riding a wave of public outrage toward the previous government’s handling of a ... Middle East -
Turkey President Erdogan admits quake rescue effort not as quick as hoped
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted for the first time Friday that his government’s search and rescue effort from this week’s devastating ... Middle East -
Turkey’s Erdogan acknowledges ‘shortcomings’ in earthquake response
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday acknowledged “shortcomings” in his government’s response to a massive earthquake that has claimed ... Middle East -
Turkey’s Erdogan faces crescendo of criticism over quake response
“If there is anyone responsible for this process, it is Erdogan. It is this ruling party that has not prepared the country for an earthquake for 20 years,” said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition party. Middle East -
Turkey’s President Erdogan arrives to earthquake-hit region
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave an update on the casualty figures during a visit to Kahramanmaras, a southern Turkish city at the ... Middle East -
Turkish President Erdogan vows to re-build earthquake hit areas in one year
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to rebuild areas hit by two deadly earthquakes within a year as he toured one of the worst-stricken ... Middle East