Incident Information
Date of incident: January 16, 2023
Location of incident: Turkey
Identifying information of perpetrator: Özgür CEBE, Sözcü Newspaper, The Ministry of Interior of Turkey
Hate Speech Analysis
Transcription of hate speech statement: "The Ministry of Interior also included these names in FETÖ's[1] media structure on the list of those wanted for terrorism and announced that those who report the names will be rewarded with money."
Target group(s) of hate speech: Abdülkerim Balcı, Abdullah Bozkurt, Abdurrahman Keskin, Asım Yıldırım, Aydoğan Vatandaş, Adem Yavuz Arslan, Arzu Yıldız, Basri Doğan, Bülent Keneş, Bülent Korucu, Cevheri Güven, Erkam Tufan Aytav, Hasan Cücük, Mehmet Cerit, Necdet Çelik, Sevinç Özarslan, Said Sefa, Tuncay Opçin, Zühdi Reha Yeprem, Tarık Toros, Emrullah Uslu, Ekrem Dumanlı, Yaşar Yeşilyurt and other journalists who are alleged to be members of the Gülen movement.
Justification of hate speech: The journalists are accused of being part of "FETÖ's media structure" and misinforming the public through FETÖ's media outlets with fake fabricated evidence leaked by FETÖ prosecutors regarding the conspiracy cases against gendarmerie and Turkish Armed Forces personnel. Additionally, the use of the term "FETÖ" to refer to the Gülen movement is considered hate speech because it demonizes the movement, implies that its members are not legitimate, and portrays the movement as a criminal and violent organization.
Analysis of the hate speech statement: The Sözcü newspaper's report on journalists close to the Gülen movement is highly problematic as it implies that the targeted journalists are not only wanted for terrorism, but also that they are a part of an illegal and dangerous organization. The report suggests that the government is encouraging citizens to report on these individuals, which could lead to further harassment and intimidation. The language used in the report is consistent with the government's demonization of the Gülen movement, which can be seen as an attempt to legitimize the government's crackdown on the movement and its members. The use of the term "FETÖ" to refer to the Gülen movement is considered hate speech as it demonizes the movement, implies that its members are not legitimate, and portrays the movement as a criminal and violent organization. The use of pejorative terms and the demonization of the movement and its members is a tool of dehumanization and criminalization of the Gülen movement and its members. The report refers to the targeted individuals as part of "FETÖ's media structure," and implies that they are wanted for terrorism. This language is consistent with the government's demonization of the Gülen movement, and can be seen as an attempt to legitimize the government's crackdown on the movement and its members. The report's implication that the movement is a secretive, dangerous, and illegal organization working to undermine the Turkish state and create a parallel state, dehumanizing the members of the movement, which is not true. In summary, the report on journalists close to the Gülen movement constitutes hate speech as it demonizes the Gülen movement, implies that its members are not legitimate, and portray the movement as a criminal and violent organization. This can lead to further discrimination, marginalization and persecution of the members of the movement. For example, journalist Abdülkerim Balcı is referred to as the Israel correspondent of Zaman newspaper and is accused of misinforming the public by directing perception operations in the organization's media outlets with fake fabricated evidence leaked by FETÖ prosecutors. Similarly, journalist Abdullah Bozkurt is referred to as the Ankara representative of Today's Zaman newspaper, and is implicated in the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Ankara Andrey Karlov on 19 December 2016. He is also accused of disclosing the identity information of MIT personnel working in Libya and the Atmaca plan to be put into action in the event of a possible war between Turkey and Armenia. Additionally, journalist Adem Yavuz Arslan is referred to as the former Ankara and Washington correspondent of the terrorist organization's daily Bugün, and is accused of conducting perception operations in the corner with fabricated evidence of FETÖ prosecutors regarding the Sledgehammer and Ergenekon conspiracy cases. These examples demonstrate the use of hate speech against journalists close to the Gülen movement, by demonizing them as part of an illegal and dangerous organization, and by implying that they are not legitimate.
Contextual information: The Gülen movement, is a religious and social movement that has been accused by the Turkish government of being behind the failed 2016 coup attempt. The movement and its members have been subject to a widespread crackdown in Turkey, with many of its members being arrested, detained, or exiled.
Impact of the statement: This report may lead to further stigmatization, harassment and intimidation of the targeted journalists and their families, both inside and outside of Turkey, as well as dehumanization of the members of the movement, making it easier for people to justify violence and other forms of abuse against them. Furthermore, the report also states that the Ministry of Interior has included these individuals in the list of those wanted for terrorism and announced that those who report the names will be rewarded with money. This could lead to further stigmatization, harassment and intimidation of the targeted journalists and their families, both inside and outside of Turkey.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Sözcü newspaper's report on journalists close to the Gülen movement constitutes hate speech as it demonizes the Gülen movement and its members, implies that they are not legitimate, and portrays the movement as a criminal and violent organization. The use of the term "FETÖ" to refer to the Gülen movement is particularly problematic as it implies that the movement is a secretive, dangerous, and illegal organization working to undermine the Turkish state and create a parallel state. This statement dehumanizes the members of the movement, making it easier for people to justify violence and other forms of abuse against them. The report also implies that the targeted journalists are wanted for terrorism and that the government is encouraging citizens to report on these individuals, which could lead to further harassment and intimidation. The report's language is consistent with the government's demonization of the Gülen movement and can be seen as an attempt to legitimize the government's crackdown on the movement and its members. The use of hate speech in this report can lead to further discrimination, marginalization and persecution of the members of the movement, including the targeted journalists. It's important to notice that the hate speech statement in this report is not only offensive but also it's not true, it's fabricated and it's a way to demonize the targeted journalists and the Gülen 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.