DThe forest fires that have been raging in Turkey since July 28 have not been extinguished. But because of the increasing criticism of the government for sometimes destructive destruction, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now embarking on a rescue offensive. In an interview aired on Wednesday night, he denied allegations that his government was not prepared for forest fires. Instead, he praised the country’s successful actions against the fire and accused the opposition of spreading “terrorism”.
Erdogan listed the banned PKK, the largest opposition Health Protection Center, and social media campaigns, not climate change, as the culprit responsible for forest fires and massive destruction.
The opposition acts “terror”
Erdogan went to the affected area only four days after the first fire broke out. He said that Turkey is currently fighting the worst forest fire in history. Their number has increased to 187, and 15 others are still going on. He described forest fires as a new global threat, not much different from Covid-19, similar to the threat of terrorism. Erdogan claimed that the opposition to his rule was not political but “terrorist”. “The terror of the opposition” swept the country.
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Erdogan claimed that some people arrested for arson were linked to the PKK. The security forces pay close attention to the PKK, which is also planning to attack the forest. Last year, she was responsible for the fact that forest fires had tripled compared to previous years.
Erdogan also accused the mayors of the Health Protection Centers of the hardest-hit provincial capitals, such as Antalya, Mugla, Denizli and Aydin. While the central government was trying to put out forest fires, the local government failed. It is their job to protect residential areas from fires, not Ankara. A well-known pro-government journalist has previously talked about the “dirty alliance” between the PKK and the Center for Health Protection. The Turkish president also attacked social media. Erdogan accused them of contributing to the movement of the PKK and missionary Fetura Gülen, which is also classified as a terrorist organization.
Social media will offend Turkey
Even before the president’s interview, the Turkish Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation into social media actors who called for international support with the hashtag #HelpTurkey. Ankara only asked the EU for help on Sunday. Another problem is the lack of equipment for national emergency services. The state news agency Anadolu quoted the prosecutor’s office as saying that such movements have caused “worries, fears and panic” among the people and incited “hatred and hostility”. Allegations of insulting officials, insulting the president, and humiliating Turkey’s national status are also under further investigation.
The Health Protection Center angrily responded to Erdogan’s allegations. Its deputy chairman Seyit Tosun accused the government of incompetence. Muharem Ins, the former candidate of the Center for Health Protection in the 2018 presidential election, wrote on Twitter that Erdogan could not shirk his responsibility. After all, in his 19-year rule, he had not purchased a firefighting aircraft. The severity of forest fires is the result of the incompetence of forest policies.
