Erdogan bans the music in Turkey, the beginning of his end
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Alaina
- . June 23, 2021
- . Update: June 23, 2021 9:49 pm
Off the curfew, but in silence. In Turkey that is racing towards the return to normalcy, lifting all the main anti-Covid restrictions from July 1st, there is at least one thing that will never be the same: music. “Sorry, but no one has the right to disturb others. at night”. With these words, after announcing to the nation the lifting from July 1st of the main anti-Covid restrictions, including the night curfew, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan motivated last night his government’s decision to fix the closure of the concert halls and the interruption of the music in the clubs at midnight.
An initiative that is causing a storm of controversy on social media, where thousands of users accuse the executive of exploiting the pandemic to punish the lifestyles it does not approve of. “We are offended” (#kusurabakiyoruz), is the hashtag that has gone viral in these hours, reversing the words of the head of state. The protest from the world of music also came immediately.
“If it bothers you, don’t listen to it,” singer Gaye Su Akyol commented on Twitter, addressing Erdogan directly. “Music does not disturb but heals disturbed souls. Musicians do not disturb, they produce art”, tweeted singer Aylin Aslim. Strong reactions also come from the opposition, according to which the executive “ is not fighting the coronavirus, but the lifestyles of others”, and from the business world, which also expresses concern about possible future restrictions on alcohol sales hours.
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The compact opposition accuses Erdogan of “not fighting the coronavirus, but the lifestyles of others”, the presidential spokesman replies, speaking of “ideological manipulation”. Many fear that this is only a first step. At stake, the opposition still accuses, there is much more than just the time to turn off the music.
If GDP is recovering after the pandemic crisis, the Turkish economy remains fragile and the wealth of citizens is constantly falling due to inflation, steadily above 15%, and the heavy devaluation of the lira. The game for Erdogan moves back to ideology, in search of the more conservative vote, already tickled in the war of symbols by the recent inauguration of the mosque in the republican temple in Taksim square.
The limitations affecting concerts today could extend to the sale of alcohol tomorrow, as already happened during the long lockdown in May in the middle of Ramadan, with a push and pull on the ban on buying alcohol in supermarkets, which seemed to have little to do with the circulation of the virus. It is clear to everyone that Erdogan uses the coronavirus to apply the Islamist principles of Sharia. The head of the Muslim Brotherhood is plunging Turkey into a deep abyss, working day after day for the creation of a Caliphate that will see Istanbul as its capital.
