Incident Information
Date of incident: January 16th, 2023
Location of incident: Turkey
Identifying information of perpetrator: Nedim Şener, journalist
Hate Speech Analysis
Transcription of hate speech statement: "The stones are slowly falling into place: At a press conference held at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on 28-29-30 September 2022, Özgür Özel of the Republican People's Party (CHP) had slandered me in a way that even FETÖ[1] members had not done so far... In this column on 5 October 2022, I wrote about Özgür Özel in the ByLock correspondence of the members of FETÖ's MIT Secret Structure in 2015, in order for the voters to get to know the deputy group chairman of the party founded by Atatürk closely... HE RAN TO THE DETAINED FETO MEMBERS... Although at first it may seem like a visit made by Özgür Özel out of humanitarian feelings, this was the result of an operation organised by FETÖ members... ÖZGÜR ÖZEL ON BYLOCK... SECRET STRUCTURE OF MIT... FETÖ members' interest in Özgür Özel goes back even before."
Target group(s) of hate speech: Members of the Gülen movement and Özgür Özel, a member of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in Turkey
Justification of hate speech: The statement does not provide any justification for hate speech. It's rather accusing Özgür Özel of having ties to the Gülen movement and providing alleged proof of Özel's connections to the group through references to ByLock correspondence, a mobile application that was used by members of the Gülen movement, and statements made by Özel about visiting detained members of the movement.
Analysis of the hate speech statement: The statement made by Nedim Şener in the article accuses members of the Gülen movement of being involved in an operation to use Özgür Özel, a member of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in Turkey, to further their own interests. It also implies that Özgür Özel has ties to the Gülen movement and that his statements and actions were not made out of humanitarian feelings, but as a result of an operation organized by the members of the movement. The statement does not provide any evidence to support these claims and it only based on alleged ByLock correspondence, a mobile application that was used by members of the Gülen movement. These statements are misleading and could further stoke anti-Gülen sentiment in Turkey. This is why it's considered hate speech.
Contextual information: The government has been cracking down on alleged members of the Gülen movement.
Impact of the statement: The statement would damage Özgür Özel's reputation and potentially harm his political career. It could also further stoke anti-Gülen sentiment in Turkey.
Conclusion
This statement made by Nedim Şener in the article is a serious accusation against Özgür Özel and the Gülen movement. It implies that Özgür Özel has ties to the Gülen movement and that his statements and actions were not made out of humanitarian feelings but as a result of an operation organized by the members of the movement. This statement is based on alleged ByLock correspondence, a mobile application that was used by members of the Gülen movement. However, the statement does not provide any solid evidence to support these claims and it should be treated with caution. These statements can be misleading and can further stoke anti-Gülen sentiment in Turkey.
[1] FETÖ is a derogatory term that the Turkish government coined to refer to the faith-based Gülen movement, which it deems a terrorist group responsible for a failed military coup in July 2016. Its US-based leader, Fethullah Gülen, denies any involvement in the putsch. The European Union and the United States have refused to adopt Turkey’s views on the group.