Media’s fascists
The remarks of a columnist at a major daily who defended an assault on the now-defunct Democratic Society Party’s (DTP) former chairman, Ahmet Türk, in Samsun early this week have astonished many because of his racist approach. Yılmaz Özdil of the Hürriyet daily wrote in his column on Wednesday, “The person who made his fist a hammer of justice and delivered it on the nose of Ahmet Türk actually verbalized the feelings of many people in this country.”
He also supported the nefarious attack, saying, “Let me ask then… if it is a ‘democratic right’ to open fire on and kill the children of this country, how can beating up a party leader be labeled ‘racism’?” Özdil’s remarks have once again drawn attention to the Turkish media’s problematic discourse in its approach to people with different religious or ethnic backgrounds and the instrumental role it plays in provoking reactions, attacks and prejudice against these people. Analysts say that if Turkey aims to be a real democratic state, the media should stop stirring up hatred and racist feelings among people in society.
Hürriyet’s Ahmet Hakan, who harshly criticizes Özdil’s approach without mentioning his name, says: “If one of the lumpen fascists says, ‘But mines kill soldiers,’ when Türk is recklessly attacked, then he deserves to be asked, ‘Hey, brother, did Türk place those mines?’ Saying, ‘But our soldiers are martyred, too,’ when a rowdy punches Türk in the face means all Kurds are members of the PKK [outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party] and such approaches can only help comfort those who are overwhelmed by anger.” He also notes that trying to legitimize the attack on Türk will give an unprecedented trump card to the terrorists who say there can sometimes be legitimate reasons for resorting to violence.
In the wake Özdil’s racist comments, Milliyet’s Hasan Cemal focuses on the media’s role in preventing the incitement of racist sentiments in society, noting that media administrators and news managers have a great responsibility to this effect. “They have to establish mechanisms for the quality checks necessary for a culture of democracy,” he suggests.
He says if we talk about the importance of democracy and the supremacy of law, it is a crime to praise violence, foment hatred and promote fascism in these systems. “Putting everything aside, if it is simply a question of humanity, none of these things should happen. Don’t mix apples with oranges. Do not try to defend things that are indefensible,” warns Cemal.
Yeni Şafak’s Ali Bayramoğlu complains that the discourse of hatred adopted by the Turkish media lies behind the murder of figures such as Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and attacks on people such as Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and politician Akın Birdal. Referring to a statement released by an international symposium titled “Hatred discourse in the media” held by the International Hrant Dink Foundation, Bayramoğlu says this statement also proves that the media in Turkey play a role in nourishing hatred and prejudice against some groups in society through the provocative, discriminatory and racist language they use.
Radikal’s Cengiz Çandar describes Özdil and those like him as the “Ogün Samasts” of the Turkish media as they have the same racist mentality as Samast, an ultranationalist who killed Dink in front of the Agos daily in 2007. Çandar says that if Özdil had written those remarks in any EU country, he would have been punished for using the discourse of hatred and he would not even be employed as a journalist in a newspaper in a democratic nation.
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