TURKEY: Tomato farmers dispute & more – 13th Aug 2024

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 13th of August twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Thursday the 8th, tomato farmers blocked the Bursa-Balıkesir highway to protest against the low prices offered by tomato paste factories. Farmers disrupted the traffic with tractors, chanting slogans like Support the farmers and Government, resign. The protest led to traffic jams and tensions with drivers. Law enforcement, including gendarmerie and riot police, intervened as the farmers demanded higher prices and government action on unsold produce. The Bursa Governor, along with local MPs and officials, negotiated with farmers, leading to an agreement for three and a half liras, or ten US cents, per kilogram. The protest ended after almost four hours, and the highway reopened to traffic.

We have some updates on the Palestinian-Israeli situation. On Wednesday the 7th, Turkey submitted its declaration of intervention to the International Court of Justice, or ICJ, in the ongoing genocide case against Israel. Hakan Fidan, the Foreign Minister, announced the move on social media, condemning Israel's actions as genocidal and urging global pressure to halt the violence.

With Turkey joining, the case now has seven intervening countries, including Nicaragua, Colombia, and Spain. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry emphasized that no nation is above international law and called on the UN Security Council to enforce the ICJ’s provisional measures, urging immediate action to stop attacks on Gaza and open the Rafah border for humanitarian aid. However, Israel denies the genocide charges, asserting its actions are self-defense against Hamas.

On Sunday the 11th, Turkey wrapped up the twenty twenty-four Olympic Games with three silver and five bronze medals. The country secured medals in women’s boxing, shooting, archery, and wrestling. However, this year’s Olympics marked the first time in forty years that Turkey finished the Games without a gold medal.

Speaking of the Olympics, the Women’s Volleyball Team is highly celebrated in Turkey, with many passionately following their matches. Despite not winning a medal this year, they received strong support, including from Özgür Özel, head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, and its İstanbul and Ankara mayors Ekrem İmamoğlu and Mansur Yavaş, who attended the games in Paris. Their presence sparked criticism as many accused them of enjoying themselves abroad while the country faced serious issues, referring to the recent Instagram ban.

Still, their attendance wasn’t the only reason for the criticism that the party received. On Wednesday the 7th, Istanbul Municipality opened the House of Istanbul exhibition at Paris’ Palais Galliera, showcasing Turkish sports, arts, and culture to promote Istanbul’s bid for the twenty twenty-seven European Games. However, pro-government media criticized the event’s cost, accusing the municipality of waste. İmamoğlu’s advisor responded by stating that sponsors covered the 250,000 euro rental fee, leaving the municipality’s budget untouched.

The event attracted notable attendees, including Turkey's Ambassador to Paris, International Olympic Committee and European Olympic Committees officials, as well as Istanbul’s district mayors. İmamoğlu emphasized Istanbul’s Olympic aspirations, while Özgür Özel voiced hopes that Istanbul would host the twenty thirty-six Olympics.

Moving on to some good news, on Saturday the 10th, the country lifted its ban on Instagram after the company agreed to cooperate with the government. The Transport and Infrastructure Minister stated that Instagram agreed to adhere to Turkish law, including removing content related to certain crimes and terrorism propaganda.

Turkey had restricted access on the 2nd of August, citing Instagram’s failure to comply with local laws and sensitivities, including accusations of censoring condolence posts about the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Hamas. Instagram reportedly stated that the posts were deleted accidentally.

Well, one ban ends, and another begins. On Wednesday the 7th, the Information Technologies and Communication Authority announced a ban on Roblox, citing concerns about content that could potentially lead to child abuse. Critics argue that Roblox is not exclusively for children and that parents should monitor their children's use of the platform. They highlight that Roblox offers effective parental controls and believe that banning the platform is not the best solution. In response to the ban, many children have protested by gathering in playgrounds and chanting We want Roblox, with videos of these demonstrations circulating widely on social media.

Surprisingly, we are not done with bans. On Thursday the 8th, Hüseyin Yayman, head of the country’s Digital Media Commission and a deputy from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, called for a ban on TikTok.

Yayman pointed to extensive public complaints and criticized TikTok for what he called irrational and inappropriate content. He stressed that while the AKP opposes censorship, social media platforms must respect national values. Yayman framed TikTok as a national security concern, supposedly reflecting public demand for a ban. However, this so-called public demand primarily stems from tweets by some individuals protesting the Instagram ban, jokingly suggesting that if a platform were to be shut down, it should have been TikTok.

We have some cultural news too. In a recent study, researchers stated that they believe the V-shaped symbols on the pillars at Göbeklitepe, an ancient site in southern Turkey, might be evidence of the world’s oldest lunisolar calendar and a memorial to a comet strike 13,000 years ago. Martin Sweatman from the University of Edinburgh, who led the research, suggests that these symbols represent days and record the date of a comet swarm that hit the Earth around 10,850 BC, triggering a mini ice age.

This event likely led to the extinction of large animals like mammoths and might have spurred developments in agriculture and religion, potentially marking the first steps towards writing, which would emerge millennia later as a key foundation of human civilization.

Now, onto education. On Tuesday the 13th, the Center for Assessment, Selection, and Placement released the University Entrance Exam results. Among the candidates was Behçet Yalın Özkara, a professor known for his social media critiques of favoritism and lack of merit in academia. His results quickly drew attention when he revealed that he had secured a spot in a Physics program despite scoring a negative 1.75 in the physics section—the equivalent of fewer than two correct answers out of forty questions. This admission with a negative score sparked social media criticism, raising concerns about the education system.

Moving on, in Eskişehir, eighteen-year-old Arda K. launched a violent attack on five people at a tea garden, wearing a Nazi helmet, a swastika symbol, and a combat vest marked with a Black Sun emblem. He fled the scene afterward. However, the police swiftly apprehended him. Reports suggest that he carried out the attack under the influence of a video game. He reportedly live-streamed the attack on social media, showing off his equipment before the assault, along with a manifesto detailing his plan, which targeted migrants and LGBTQ+ individuals. Authorities are investigating the incident, while the victims' conditions are reported as stable.

Some environmental news… Earlier in July, a tour ship captain in Istanbul spotted a leatherback sea turtle in the Bosphorus. Initially, he mistook it for a tire, however, later on, he realized the large creature was a turtle and videotaped it. Upon seeing the video, Arda Tonay, from Istanbul University’s Marine Biology Department, confirmed the sighting, pointing out that it was the first leatherback sea turtle observed in the Bosphorus.

Tonay attributed the turtle’s appearance to climate change, which may have altered its feeding patterns. This kind of turtle, typically found in the tropics and sub-tropics, could weigh up to 600 kilograms, or over a thousand and three hundred pounds, and reach two and a half meters, or over eight feet, in length. This sighting marks the 14th record of this species in Turkey and the first in the Marmara Sea.

In other news, sinkholes in the city of Konya are increasing as underground water levels drop, causing the ground to collapse. Arif Delikan, an Associate Professor from Konya Technical University, highlighted that new sinkholes are forming near settlements in the Seyithacı and Ekmekçi highlands of Karapınar district. Residents are growing increasingly concerned, with some sinkholes appearing just thirty meters from their homes, though none have formed directly beneath them. Delikan called for urgent action, urging authorities to either relocate residents from the most affected areas or find ways for them to live alongside the increasing number of sinkholes.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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