Incident Information
Date of incident: January 6, 2023
Location of incident: Turkey
Identifying information of perpetrator: Süleyman Soylu, Minister of Interior
Source: https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/gundem/icisleri-bakani-soylu-bizim-derdimiz-kayyum-atamak-degil/2781208
Hate Speech Analysis
Transcription of hate speech statement: ""Our problem is not to appoint trustees. Our problem is to do our job, if you put a terrorist element there, to purify it from that terrorist element." And "Stating that Turkey passed through a difficult passage by paying a price, Soylu said, "These prices were paid by living, not by watching on television. Istanbul, Black Sea, Central Anatolia, Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia were also affected." Soylu said, "There were always those who wanted to make you pay a price. How did Turkey come to this point?" to the question, "Take Tayyip Erdoğan out of the equation, today FETÖ[1] was the ruler of Turkey. He would do business with America in Turkey. They would also produce big big words." he answered."
Target group(s) of hate speech: Members of the Gülen movement
Justification of hate speech: The Turkish government has accused the Gülen movement of being behind the attempted coup in 2016 and has labeled it as a terrorist organization.
Analysis of the hate speech statement: The statement implies that members of the Gülen movement are considered terrorist elements and that the goal of the government is to "purify" public institutions of their presence. Furthermore, the statement implies that Gülen movement was the ruler of Turkey and that it is responsible for Turkey's difficult passage. It also implies that Gülen movement had nefarious intentions and was working with foreign entities to harm Turkey. These accusations are dehumanizing and stigmatizing towards members of the Gülen movement, and can incite discrimination and violence against them. The use of the term "FETÖ" to refer to the Gülen movement is considered hate speech because it demonizes the movement and its members, implies that its members are not legitimate, and portrays the movement as a criminal and violent organization, which can lead to further discrimination, marginalization and persecution of the members of the movement.
Contextual information: The statement was made in the context of an investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and in response to a question about the role of "FETÖ" and its relationship with America.
Impact of the statement: It can contribute to further stigmatization and marginalization of people perceived to be members of the Gülen movement, and can also fuel discrimination and violence against them.
Conclusion
The statement made by the Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu can be considered as hate speech as it dehumanizing language and targeting of a specific group (Gülen movement) which can incite discrimination and violence against those perceived to be members of the Gülen movement. Furthermore, the use of the term "FETÖ" to refer to the Gülen movement is considered hate speech as it demonizes the movement and its members, implies that its members are not legitimate, and portray the movement as a criminal and violent organization, which can lead to further discrimination, marginalization and persecution of the members of the movement.
[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.