On the night of April 1, Turkey experienced a bizarre April Fools' Day joke. A television commercial by Ulker — Turkey’s giant food company especially famous for its sweets and chocolates, including Godiva — was perceived by the supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a signal of an impending military coup attempt. Thousands of these supporters hit the streets, chanted for the beloved president and vowed to protect him against any attack. Other protesters burned or “hanged” candy bars made by the Ulker company and posted the scenes online, showing what they would do to the traitors.
All in all, the incident — hashtagged on social media by critics jokingly as #gofretdarbesi (“chocolate bar coup”) — indicated just how high-strung Turkey has become.
