The primary goal of the operation against celebrities is to mask the 'Biji Serok Apo' agenda

I always say this, and I repeat it: One of the most fundamental factors behind the survival of the AKP government, which is approaching a quarter-century, is the media that has been consciously created.

From their very first day, they focused on media investments; they transferred major media groups to businesspeople they either created themselves or pressured. They supported these media outlets with the unlimited resources of public banks, created a world of perception through advertising support from all kinds of public bodies, free newspapers distributed to the public, and TV broadcasts.

This power and magic poisoned them as well. They were constantly focused on raising the bar. Newspapers and television channels were no longer enough. They expanded this perception through TV series projects. They focused on the youth through social media trolls and professional-looking social media accounts.

They claimed the economy was doing very well. The state news agency, Anadolu Agency, tried to conduct perception operations more skillfully. It had its foreign representatives report that the "economy is bad" elsewhere. As if the economy were in terrible shape not just in Turkey, but even in the world's most developed countries.

The feeling of never being satisfied had practically enveloped the AKP members. Of course, they also needed material for this perception apparatus they created. The Directorate of Communications reached an incredible level of power. RTÜK is like the Grim Reaper, depicted with a scythe in hand, over TV channels labeled as opposition....

If you pay attention, whenever developments occur that will harm the AKP or disturb even its most fanatical voters, a scandal story inevitably breaks out.

The agenda is always changed by replacing facts with a popular, tabloid-style artificial agenda. Sometimes operations are conducted against municipalities, and sometimes journalists are detained.

Today, we woke up to an operation targeting celebrities. Among them are lawyers, singers, and actors.

Naturally, even the attention of us journalists is diverted, and a multitude of questions arise in our minds.

In the days when the "solution process" was pushing the public from one shock to another, the Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) addressed the founder and leader of the terrorist organization, Abdullah Öcalan, as a "founding leader" during his group meeting.

He praised Öcalan for "putting his hand under the stone" (taking responsibility).

Under the roof of the Parliament, DEM Party members chanted "Biji Serok Apo" (Long live leader Apo) and expressed their demands for the freedom of the terrorist organization's founder at the highest volume.

These developments caused trouble for every AKP member, from trolls to politicians, from journalists to public officials.

Even the most vicious trolls went silent. They tried to focus on other places and draw attention there. Some started talking about Gaza and Palestine; others from completely different places.

Then, in the morning, the operation against celebrities came.

Did the agenda change? Yes, it did. And how it changed!

But the facts do not change.

It cannot be a coincidence that the operation against celebrities came immediately after DEM Party members shouted "Biji Serok Apo" under the roof of the Parliament the day before. The fact that an operation was conducted against a large number of famous names at the same time was definitely planned to increase the impact.

There is also this comedy: The police go to the doors of the celebrities, round them up, take them to get blood samples, and then issue a statement: "There is no detention, they will be sent to their homes."

This is a scandal in every sense of the word.

What is even more frightening is the growing fear of the government. A survey published recently revealed that even those who love Erdoğan have started to become afraid. In an environment where the rule of law has ended and fear has reached its peak, it may have been intended for actors and celebrities, who are extremely fond of their comfort, to say, "Let's not get involved in anything, let's just mind our own business."

It will be a harsh criticism, but we can easily see that while the country is in flames, celebrities generally continue on their way without getting involved in anything. Didn't Ayşe Barım also rebel against this?

Think of a manager who was accused of organizing the Gezi Park protests and said to be aiming to destroy the Republic of Turkey. She is arrested and kept in prison for months despite having health problems. She is released, and a day later, it is decided that her detention will continue. Three or five actors showed up at the courthouse, yes; but frankly, I did not see anyone saying, "There is an injustice here, there is oppression here" in general terms.

On the other hand, journalist İsmail Saymaz made some observations regarding the celebrities taken from their homes in the drug operation... He says:

"Three of those detained are Ayşe Barım's clients. Defne Samyeli, the mother of the Talu brothers, was a guest on Fatih Altaylı's show. Hadise made headlines with her outfit. Demet Evgar is working on women's rights and is an opposition figure"...

As is known, Defne Samyeli recently made statements on Fatih Altaylı's program that became a topic of discussion, disturbed the government, and could be linked to the solution process. She rejected the concept of "Türkiyelilik" (being from Turkey) and stated that she is "Turkish."

As Saymaz also noted, Hadise's stage shows attract attention. And we all know Demet Evgar's stance.

Before finishing these lines, I want to emphasize again:

The operation against celebrities, which prioritizes discrediting them by taking them from their homes to be tested for drugs, is entirely aimed at a perception operation.

The goal is to cover up and mask the developments related to the solution process that have disturbed even the AKP's staunchest supporters. It is to ensure that the chanting of "Biji Serok Apo" slogans under the roof of the Parliament is hidden and falls off the agenda.

To put it briefly and in classic language, the operation against celebrities is to change the agenda.