Since the earthquake that killed more than 44,000 people on February 6, the Turkish government has been strongly criticized by the opposition and independent media for its management of the crisis.
This is a rare challenge in Turkey. Supporters of the Turkish football team Besiktas (first division) launched a call for the resignation of the government on Sunday February 26 in Istanbul, joining those of the Fenerbahçe club, almost three weeks after the devastating earthquake in the south-east of Turkey. “Government, resign!”, chanted Sunday evening thousands of supporters of the Istanbul team Besiktas in the Inonu stadium on the occasion of the championship match against Antalyaspor.
They also threw stuffed animals on the lawn in tribute to the child victims of the February 6 earthquake which killed more than 44,000 people in Turkey and also affected neighboring Syria. The day before, Fenerbahçe supporters sang “Lies, cheating, it’s been twenty years, resign!”, during a match against Konyaspor.
The popularity of President Erdogan already started
Since the earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8, the Turkish government has been strongly criticized by the opposition and independent media for its lack of reaction during the first days in devastated areas. With the approach of the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for May 14, the popularity of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, already damaged by the economic crisis, is suffering a little more.
Attempting to silence critics, Ankara temporarily blocked access to Twitter on February 8. The Turkish Broadcasting High Council (RTUK) also sanctioned three TV channels for criticizing the government. “The earthquake does not only destroy the houses, but also the empire of fear. Even if we ban Twitter or TV channels (…), voices find a fault and rise. As has been the case in the stands of Fenerbahçe”, estimated Saturday February 25 a Turkish journalist, Mustafa Hos, on Twitter.
Fans of Besiktas, one of the Istanbul clubs, are known to be quite close to the opposition. Open calls for the resignation of authorities have been rare in Turkey since President Erdogan’s hardening of power after the attempted coup against him in 2016. “As our country struggles with the biggest disaster of the century, shouting resignation slogans during the Fenerbahçe-Konyaspor match is irresponsible and senseless,” reacted on Twitter Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Action party, coalition partner of Mr. Erdogan’s AKP party. Mr. Bahceli even called on the clubs to take “urgent and necessary measures” so that the matches are played without supporters.