A prominent columnist from the Radikal daily, Murat Yetkin, penned a searing column titled “Soma is neither Gezi nor the graft probe, you know that, right?” Yetkin explained that the Soma mine disaster touched a different nerve in society and could not be blamed on a lobby. Several opposition pundits joined Yetkin to argue that the Soma disaster could easily escalate to bring the “end of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” that is, if his administration could be held accountable. One supporting argument opposition was that the Soma disaster harmed Erdogan’s public image so much that he had to delay the much-anticipated announcement about his presidential bid.
In response to the mounting criticism, dedicated Justice and Development Party (AKP) supporters first engaged in a social lynching campaign. Instantly, multiple domestic and international publications that put the government on the spot were delegitimized and quite a few journalists were targeted and labeled as “Erdogan-haters.”
This term “Erdogan-haters” is used to explain the concept “anti-Erdoganism.” Intriguingly, pro-AKP pundits managed to turn the tables around on even “anti-Erdoganism” hype. The argument in a nutshell — as mind-boggling as it sounds — goes like this: Anytime there is a sound criticism of Erdogan or an outburst that could easily turn into a popular slogan (Der Spiegel’s “Go to Hell, Erdogan” headline fits into this category) the criticism is not refuted. Rather, the simple verbal criticism gets reframed as “aggressive hate speech” and the critical pundit faces a reply as such: “You are anti-Erdogan; you hate Erdogan so much so that it blinds your judgment. Hence, all your arguments are worthless.”
You could follow this pattern in unison on political talk shows, social and print media from pro-AKP sources. It is a cul-de-sac, which halts any sort of communication, by saying “We cannot talk because you are an Erdogan-hater. Erdogan can do no good in your book. Until your hate is over, there can be no discussion.” Most of “the hate” pro-AKP pundits complain about is not about Erdogan as a person, but rather about his policies. However, along with avoiding any rational engagement about policy failures, AKP pundits utilize this accusation of “anti-Erdoganism” for damage control. As controversial as it may be, it works.
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