Grandmother of Afro-Turk Efe Ercan responds to 'spy' claims: The story behind that photo

Handan Ercan, the grandmother of 8-year-old Efe Diallo Ercan, who stood with a Turkish flag next to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu during the April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day ceremony in Taksim and was subsequently subjected to racist attacks, spoke to journalist İsmail Saymaz.

"LET YOUR GRANDMOTHER TAKE YOU THERE..."

Handan Ercan stated that her grandson wanted to go to Ekrem İmamoğlu when he saw him. Handan Ercan made the following statement:

"Efe is an autistic child. We go out to Taksim for every national holiday. On April 23, Efe saw İmamoğlu. I couldn't hold him back; he wanted to go. İmamoğlu signaled for them to let him come. I took him. I told him he was a special needs child. He said, 'He can stand next to me, there is no problem.' İmamoğlu told Efe, 'There is a concert in Üsküdar this evening, let your grandmother take you there.' That is all. Oh, they asked what I whispered in İmamoğlu's ear... They made me out to be a German spy. It's unbelievable."

Efe's father, Emre Ercan, explained that he met his wife, Safiatou Diallo, while working in Guinea 12 years ago, that they got married and settled in Turkey, and that his wife is also a Turkish citizen.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Following the sharing of the photo taken by IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu with 8-year-old Efe at the April 23 ceremony in Taksim, many racist attacks were carried out on social media.