PM Erdoğan’s remarks on Hizmet stir animosity

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks about the Hizmet movement that compared the movement with an aberrant terrorist assassin organization in history could well be considered hate speech, according to experts.

The prime minister, addressing a Justice and Development Party (AK Party) meeting on Jan. 14, compared members of a certain group to “hashashin.” Hashashins (assassins) were the terrorists who were famous for committing assassinations under the influence of opium. The beginnings of this cult dates back to its first grandmaster, Hassan-i Sabbah (1050s–1124).

Erdoğan's remarks were perceived as a thinly veiled reference to the Hizmet movement, which he has accused of orchestrating a sweeping corruption investigation that has implicated members of his inner circle.

According to Dr. Günal Kurşun, president of the Human Rights Agenda Association (İHGD), Erdoğan's remarks are an example of “hate speech” since it leads people to hatred and animosity against others. According to Kurşun, although Turkey does not yet have a hate crime law, article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) has a clause that is close to the definition of hate speech.

“The prime minister's hashashin remark is definitely discriminatory,” said Dr. Kurşun, as he said that Erdoğan tries to distance certain people due to their belonging to a group.

A former European Parliament member, Joost Lagendijk, said that although it is a difficult call to make, when one thinks about the definition of hate speech, Erdoğan's remarks come very close to it. “We do not need to discuss that it is awful,” he said in reference to Erdoğan's likening and added that hate crime causes others to hate the object, which in this case is the Hizmet movement.

“I personally think it goes too far,” Lagendijk added. According to Lagendijk, in court a judge may well decide that this is hate speech. He said that everyone knows the negative reputation of the hashashins in history and comparing people with assassins is a terrible thing.

On Jan 22. 22 businessmen in Ankara filed a lawsuit against Prime Minister Erdoğan for his remarks likening the followers of the Hizmet movement to assassins, claiming that he insulted their character.

International Relations Professor Baskın Oran said, “There is no worse comparison than hashashins who assassinate people,” adding that Prime Minister Erdoğan's remarks should directly be considered hate speech. He said that hashashins were famous for killing people after taking opium.

“Is there a worse comparison than this,” Oran asked in reference to Erdoğan's likening of the Hizmet movement to hashashins.

Human rights lawyer and Radikal columnist Orhan Kemal Cengiz said that the prime minister's remarks “could be considered hate speech,” especially because they are expressed by someone in a high position of power. According to Cengiz, there is no doubt that Erdoğan's remarks are discriminatory and “othering.”

Cengiz also said that Erdoğan's remarks are an example of abuse of power because he is in a position to influence the opinion of the people about a certain group.

He also argued that the removals of police officers and prosecutors from office following the graft probe with the belief that they are affiliated with the Hizmet movement constitutes a “presumption of law” because they are a result of Erdoğan's frustration with a certain group. It is now the administration's responsibility to prove that these removals did not take place due to a religious affiliation.

Published on Today's Zaman, 24 January 2014, Friday