“He who does not love animals does not love humans either.” The sentiment conveyed in a tweet by the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Bahcelievler branch was echoed by Turkish social media accounts spanning the ideological spectrum to mark Oct. 4, World Animal Day. Seyma Dogucu, president of the AKP’s Istanbul women’s branch, posted a photograph of herself caressing a scrawny black kitten with the top trending Twitter hashtag #CanDostlarımızınYanındayız, which translated literally means “We stand by our life friends.”
Sezgin Tanrikulu, a prominent member of the main opposition pro-secular Republican People’s Party, seized the occasion to press for new legislation introducing harsher penalties for cruelty to animals.
