Scandalous Atatürk banner from AKP-run Gelibolu Municipality

The Gelibolu Municipality in Çanakkale, governed by AKP Mayor Ali Kamil Soyuak, drew backlash for hanging posters of Atatürk behind bars all over the district as part of the November 10 Atatürk Commemoration Day.

The founder of the Republic of Turkey, the Eternal Commander-in-Chief and Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, passed away 86 years ago today.

When the clock struck 09:05, citizens across Turkey observed a moment of silence for Atatürk.

While commemoration events were held for the Great Leader in many cities, the banners hung by the AKP-run Gelibolu Municipality were met with a flood of reactions.

MUNICIPALITY REMOVED THE BANNER

According to a report by Sözcü, the Atatürk banner hung by the AKP-run municipality in the district of Gelibolu, which holds great significance in terms of the Gallipoli Campaign, for the November 10 commemoration, sparked outrage.

A picture showing Atatürk behind iron bars was hung in the district. Following the backlash, the municipality removed that banner and hung a picture of Atatürk with the crescent and star.

In a statement regarding the reactions, the Gelibolu Municipality said, “On November 10, the day our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, from whose ideas and views we have never deviated for a moment, passed into eternity, the November 10 banners prepared and hung by our Municipality to keep his cherished memory alive were removed by our teams as soon as it was noticed that they were defective due to a technical error. We regretfully condemn the individuals and groups who are trying to manipulate public opinion in a negative way by questioning our loyalty to Atatürk over this error and attempting to use it as political material to gain attention.”

CHP: AN INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE LAUNCHED

Stating that the Gelibolu Municipality's explanation that the banners were "collected as soon as it was noticed that they were defective due to a technical error" was an insult to human intelligence, the CHP Gelibolu District Organization said, “A technical error is noticed during the printing of the banners, not after they have been hung in every corner of Gelibolu and public reaction has emerged. Furthermore, this suspicious ‘error’ regarding the printing of the banners is not the first error of the current administration.”

The CHP also stated, “Instead of condemning our citizens who reacted to this scandalous banner, we expect the Gelibolu Municipality to investigate those who made the ‘technical error’ as they call it, launch the necessary investigation, and inform the public transparently. We would also like to state that if there is to be a condemnation, we condemn the Gelibolu municipal administration, which tries to blame others for every ‘error’ it makes.”