Anger of students in Turkey: Erdogan accuses "LGBT youth" of "vandalism"
Students from the Turkish Bosphorus University demonstrate against the appointment of their rector by President Erdogan on January 6, 2021. AP - Huseyin Aldemir
Text by: Anne Andlauer
4 min
Just a month ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed a close friend of his party as rector of one of the country's most prestigious universities, the Bosporus University in Istanbul.
Since that day, the anger of a large part of the students and teachers has not subsided, on the contrary.
This protest movement is now the target of homophobic attacks at the top of the state.
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From our correspondent in Istanbul,
Last week, as they have done every day since the beginning of January, students from the University of the Bosphorus gathered on campus under the windows of their new rector, Melih Bulu.
Once again, they protested against his appointment, which they considered political and contrary to the traditions of their establishment.
Tensions escalated on January 29, when some protesters hung a painting depicting the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's first holy site, adorned with rainbow flags, a symbol associated with the community. LGBT.
Four students were arrested and charged with "
incitement to hatred
".
Two of them were placed under house arrest and two others imprisoned.
The Turkish authorities immediately seized the opportunity to castigate homosexuality by invoking religion.
Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu congratulated himself on Twitter that “
four LGBT cranks
” have been arrested.
And in a speech on Monday February 1, President Erdogan accused "
LGBT youth
" as a whole of "
vandalism
".
Legal homosexuality, widespread homophobia
These words only fueled the anger of student protesters, in a country where homosexuality is not illegal but where homophobia remains widespread.
On social networks in Turkey and around the world, thousands of people have shown their solidarity with the students of the Bosphorus University and the LGBT community, regularly victims of discrimination and hate speech.
This Monday, dozens of students demonstrated in front of the campus.
The police, in excess, intervened, and several people were taken into custody.
The students have promised not to give up until their comrades are released and until an election to appoint a new rector has been organized.
►
To read also: Turkey: the sling of students continues at the University of the Bosphorus
Criminalize student protest
After a month of protest, the authorities seem determined to criminalize the movement in the hope of stopping it.
This was already the case last month when Recep Tayyip Erdogan compared the students behind the sling to "
terrorists
".
This is still the case today, with this attempt to link the protest against the new rector to the LGBT community, and the LGBT community to “
vandalism
”.
The president wants to put an end to this protest movement as quickly as possible on the campus of a prestigious public university, which is starting to make a lot of noise in Turkey and abroad.
He is all the less inclined to back down as what these students denounce - the appointment of rectors by the President of the Republic, when they were formerly elected by the teachers - has become a symbol of the regime change introduced in 2018. A hyper-presidential regime in which the head of state decides absolutely everything.
►
To read also: Turkey: Erdogan tries to install his power on the universities
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