As Turkey has just experienced one of the worst fire episodes in its recent history, for the past few days Turkish television has shown virtually no image of these fires which have killed eight people and destroyed large areas of forest along the coast. Mediterranean since their outbreak on July 28. 

On social networks, Turks traumatized by the scale of the flames have multiplied tweets under the hashtag #HelpTurkey to ask for urgent help. Messages qualified by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of "terror by the lie propagated from America, Europe and certain other places". "In response to that, there is only one thing to say: Strong Turkey," the head of state said angry.

A few days earlier, a warning from the Turkish High Audiovisual Council, which regulates the media in the country, threatened to impose a fine on television stations which broadcast information about the fires which could "cause fear and 'concern' among the population.

As soon as said, most of the chains folded in order, reducing their coverage.

According to official data, however, the event is major.

In one week, more than 180 blazes devastated entire forests and agricultural land, as well as inhabited areas, mainly located on the Mediterranean coasts, bringing the surface that went up in smoke in 2021 to 95,000 hectares, a record.

Never has Turkey burned so much in ten years.

From the early days, columnists on the pro-government media tried to blame the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), accusing members of this organization, considered terrorist by Turkey and its Western allies, of to have played arsonists.

But the authorities ended up explaining the extreme heat wave hitting southern Turkey as the main cause of these fires. 

No Turkish Canadair to fight the flames

Behind the scenes, the image war that played out during this unfortunate event aimed to stifle criticism against the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attacked for its shortcomings in the management of these fires.

And for good reason, it turned out in the middle of the disaster that Turkey no longer had an operational water bomber plane.

The main opposition party, the CHP (Republican People's Party, Social Democrats), immediately criticized the Turkish president for dismantling the infrastructure of a semi-public organization that held water bombers.

In addition, despite the urgency, the Head of State rejected several offers of external assistance, including that of Greece, a regional rival also subject to the fires.

Faced with the extent of the damage, he ended up accepting aid from the European Union six days later.

Two Spanish and Croatian Canadair were eventually sent to fight the fire on Turkish soil, as part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Before the announcement of European aid, Turkey had borrowed bomber planes from Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Iran.

A communication war on social networks

At the heart of the crisis, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's action suddenly appeared disconnected from reality.

His trip to the regions affected by the fires, in a bus under strong police escort, equipped with megaphones, from which he was filmed throwing bags of tea to residents in the middle of the night, created controversy on social networks.

Twitter exploded in indignation at these scenes of tea throws.

"Help us !!!!!"

Turkish comedian Enis Arikan tweeted hours after Erdogan's visit, with the hashtag #HelpTurkey.

"We urgently need planes," he pleaded.

The government claims that the #HelpTurkey hashtag is powered by fake accounts used to manipulate public opinion.

Charges that could be brought to justice.

The prosecutor's office said it would investigate whether the tweets were intended to "create anxiety, fear and panic among the population, and to humiliate the Turkish government." 

This investigation comes in the context of an additional turn of the screw on social networks, a still lively place of debate in a country where the media favorable to the government dominate.

After initially opposing it, Twitter, Facebook and others finally bowed to new Turkish laws that require platforms to appoint local representatives who can take legal action in order to remove problematic posts.

An additional law to regulate social networks is under consideration and will be presented to Parliament in October.

With AFP

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