Turkey: rumors and fake news multiply on the deadly forest fires

Tourists wait to be evacuated by boat from a smoky area as forest fires roll down the hill to the seaside in Bodrum, Mugla, Turkey on August 1, 2021. AP - Emre Tazegul

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3 min

Since last Wednesday, Turkish firefighters have been fighting deadly forest fires in the south of the country.

The death toll rose to eight dead and several hundred injured.

In the press and on social networks, rumors are multiplying: they accuse the Kurdish fighters of being behind these forest fires.

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With our correspondent in Istanbul, 

Anne Andlauer

For many Turkish media, the person responsible for the forest fires is the perfect match: the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK, at war with the state for nearly 40 years.

These accusations relayed on social networks are raising the tension in the most affected regions, where we have seen in recent days lynching attempts against suspected arsonists and armed civilians "stand guard", according to them, on roads leading to forests.

Official communication does not help calm rumors.

On the one hand, the authorities repeat that

investigations are underway

and warn against disinformation, in particular the fake videos supposed to demonstrate the criminal origin of the flames.

On the other hand, President Erdogan has suggested that some fires are linked to "terrorism", and the media close to power recall that the Kurdish armed group has claimed responsibility for numerous forest fires in the past.

This cacophony creates a paradox: while the government has been hammering for months that the PKK is "on its knees" under the effect of counterterrorism operations in Turkey, these rumors give the image of a group powerful enough to unleash attacks in a few days. fires in more than a third of the country's provinces. 

In Bodrum and Marmaris, famous seaside resorts, locals and travelers had to be evacuated from their homes and hotels, often by boat.

Likewise in Antalya and its neighbor, Mugla, very affected by forest fires.

► See also: Fires in Turkey: tourists evacuated to Bodrum, Erdogan criticized

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  • Turkey

  • Natural disasters

  • Environment

  • Social networks