Turkey fires: #HelpTurkey hashtag irritates President Erdogan

For Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it is unthinkable that his country could need foreign aid.

AFP - ADEM ALTAN

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

As Turkey was ravaged by the most destructive forest fires in its recent history, the country was also on Twitter.

The hashtag #HelpTurkey or “ 

Help Turkey

 ” is controversial.

He is even the subject of an investigation by the prosecution.

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As the deadliest fires destroyed the country's southern coastline, a hashtag appeared on Twitter.

#HelpTurkey or #HelpTurkey has started to gain momentum in recent days, shared in particular by celebrities sensitive to the plight of the Turkish people.

But Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not appreciate this outpouring of solidarity at all.

For the Turkish president, it is unthinkable that his country could need foreign aid.

This Friday, he responded with its own slogan: " 

Strong Turkey 

" or " 

strong Turkey

 ", calling another hashtag " 

lies 

" propagated from "

 America, Europe and some other places 

."

►

 See also: 

In Turkey, fires are hitting the tourism sector hard

Threats of fines to the media

The prosecutor's office said it would conduct an investigation to determine whether the tweets were intended to create fear and humiliate the Turkish government.

The media regulator has threatened to impose fines on television channels which continue to broadcast images of the fires.

The Turkish government has come under fire for several days.

He was accused of mismanagement and lack of preparation.

Turkey no longer had water bombers to fight the flames but refused any outside help, including that of Greece, its regional rival, itself in the

grip of the fires

.

Turkey is also affected by violent fires like here in the region of Akyaka in the south of the country, on August 6, 2021. AFP - YASIN AKGUL

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  • Turkey

  • Social networks

  • Recep Tayyip Erdogan

  • Natural disasters