How did Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı trick the British soldiers?
After being released from prison, Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı finds himself in occupied Istanbul. He begins working at a newspaper. Nothing can be printed in the newspaper without the permission of the British. One day, Cevat Şakir manages to bypass the censorship. Here is the story of that event...
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Cevat Şakir is released from prison after serving his sentence for killing his father. He finds himself penniless in an Istanbul under the control of occupation forces.
He gets a job at a newspaper and tries to make a living by drawing cartoons. In occupied Istanbul, there is severe censorship on the press. No newspaper can be printed without receiving approval from the censorship board.
CEVAT ŞAKİR'S TRICK
Cevat Şakir draws a cartoon mocking Ali Kemal, who was a supporter of the Allied powers, but he knows well that it will not pass censorship. To bypass the censorship, Cevat Şakir scribbles some nonsense and sends it to the censorship board. The censorship board stamps it with their approval. Cevat Şakir erases what he had drawn and draws the cartoon he actually wanted to publish. The next day, all hell breaks loose. British officers raid the newspaper building.
Cevat Şakir describes that day in his book Mavi Sürgün (Blue Exile) as follows:
“The censorship board and the occupation police arrived.
- Did you print this?
- Yes.
- Who did this?
- I did.
- Who gave you permission to print such a picture?
- The censorship board.
- Show us the censorship's permission.
I pulled out the drawer and laid the picture in front of them. The censorship's approval stamp was placed there like a horseshoe. My heart was pounding, wondering if they would arrest me.”
THE BRITISH ARE AT A LOSS AT FIRST
The British talk among themselves. At first, they want to arrest him, but there is the censorship board's approval. They are caught in a dilemma and do not know exactly what to do. Furthermore, the subject is not about them. It is a Turk attacking another Turk.
Although they are not pleased that such a cartoon was drawn about their friend Ali Kemal, the censorship stamp is there. The British officers find fault with their own censorship board and leave the building.