Bahadır Yenişehirlioğlu draws backlash in France again: 'Love balloons from Palestine to the Eiffel Tower'

AKP Manisa MP Bahadır Yenişehirlioğlu has drawn attention with his social media posts following a series of official engagements in the French capital, Paris.

Yenişehirlioğlu, who spent most of his visit sharing posts about mosque visits, messages of sensitivity regarding Palestine, and emphasis on "ancestral heritage," faced backlash once again over a specific photo. The image, in which he posed in front of the Eiffel Tower holding red heart-shaped balloons, became a topic of discussion after he deleted it shortly after posting.

Yenişehirlioğlu, who continued his contacts in Paris between November 28-30, met with institutions such as the UID (Union of International Democrats), DİTİB, and MÜSİAD.

The AKP deputy, who met with the congregation after Friday prayers in Paris and visited the graves of the grandchildren of Sultan Abdulhamid II, frequently used phrases like "climate of the heart" and "spiritual values" in his social media posts. However, contrary to the spiritual emphasis of the day, his midnight pose in front of the Eiffel Tower with heart balloons drew criticism from his followers.

"SOMETIMES A PERSON IS ALONE WITH THEMSELVES EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF CROWDS..."

Yenişehirlioğlu captioned his pose in front of the Eiffel Tower with the note, "Sometimes a person is alone with themselves even in the middle of crowds..." However, this post was deleted from his social media account shortly after. It is believed that Yenişehirlioğlu, who removed the contrasting image following the backlash, deleted the cheerful photo from Paris in consideration of public reaction, especially after a day spent sharing messages of sensitivity regarding Palestine.

In a long message he published on his social media account, particularly within the framework of the November 29 "International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People," Yenişehirlioğlu drew attention to the suffering of the Palestinian people, stating, "The truth that a true peace cannot be established in any geography without hearing the cries of the oppressed..." However, his cheerful pose in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on the same day he was sharing messages of sensitivity, while the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza continues, led to the shared image being found contradictory and inappropriate.

HIS POSTS FEATURING HIS ROLEX WATCH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ON THE AGENDA

Yenişehirlioğlu's social media posts in France recalled his 562,000 TL Rolex watch, which had previously made headlines due to a photo he took with guests at the Turkish Grand National Assembly. At that time, he had responded to the backlash by saying, "I will continue to wear my watch, which I acquired through lawful means."