Since the horrific coal mine accident in Soma, a poor town in western Anatolia, Turkey has focused on the 301 victims and the culprits of their tragic deaths. Everyday, newspapers and news channels run stories about Turkey's mines, their lack of safety, poor work conditions and insufficient legal and administrative standards.
Yet, there is a man who is at the center of all the attention: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Media and social media are full of endless comments on certain details, such as why he pointed to 19th-century England to prove his case that mine accidents are "normal occurrences"; why he told protesters in Soma, "If you boo me, I will slap you"; whether he really slapped a protester; and what he thinks about his assistant who, literally, kicked a protester who was subdued by two security officers.
