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Secular Turks mock government’s appropriation of care-free lifestyles in Istanbul promo video

The negative responses highlight what secular members of Turkish society perceive as the government’s interference in their lifestyle choices.
A picture taken on April 24, 2020, shows the Blue Mosque square with the Hagia Sophia museum in the background.

ISTANBUL — A slick promotional video for Istanbul from the Turkish government has provoked a wave of scorn and mockery for presenting an image of the city at odds with the ruling party’s vision for the country.

The one-minute film, titled “Istanbul Is the New Cool,” features chicly dressed twenty-somethings strutting and dancing around the city’s near-empty streets to an upbeat soundtrack.

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