A journalist working for Qatar-based Al Jazeera Mubasher channel was verbally and physically attacked by supporters of the opposition Good Party (IP) in Istanbul for speaking Arabic.
A dual national of Egypt and Türkiye, reporter Rokaya Çelik, who was in Istanbul’s Ümraniye district on the Asian side, approached the IP booth set up for the upcoming elections on a bustling street, but an unidentified party supporter yelled at her, telling her not to speak Arabic.
“No Arabic here, no Arabic, we’re Turkish!” the man is heard saying in the video, to which Çelik responds by saying I am also a Turk, in Turkish. The IP supporter then responds by saying she’s not Turkish and intimidates and follows her as she talks in Arabic and hits her.
“We respect the law here, we abide by all rules and regulations, including pre-election restrictions,” Çelik told Daily Sabah, adding that they have been trying to cover the views of all political parties and have spoken with them without such issues.
She also noted that the man hit her arm twice and another IP supporter also attacked camerawoman Dima Mansour.
IP, led by Chairwoman Meral Akşener, recently announced its staunch anti-migrant election manifesto.
The lengthy manifesto is not different from the election pledges of many other parties, including the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) single-digit inflation and a growth rate of about 5%.
The party, which lags behind the opposition bloc’s leader Republican People’s Party (CHP) will endorse that party’s presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. In the parliament, it aspires to have a say on state affairs while Akşener will be one of many vice presidents of Kılıçdaroğlu if the latter wins.
A traditionally nationalist party, IP, founded by former members of the current government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), offers a more far-right agenda.
Although the party tucked the items about refugees at the end of the manifesto, it has a harsher stance than its rival Victory Party (ZP) whose sole campaign pledge is sending away refugees and migrants.
IP says it will end Türkiye’s “open door” policy on the borders and would enforce a strict border regime. It promises preemptive measures against mass migration to Türkiye “beyond borders.” It also pledges what Türkiye has long been criticizing: Pushing back the migrants.
IP also says refugees (namely, those from Syria) would not be given citizenship and all “privileges” they were entitled to would be rendered invalid. All irregular migrants will be rounded up immediately for deportation, IP also pledged.
The main source of refugees is Türkiye’s neighbor Syria and IP pledges to maintain good ties with Syria, by signing a “good neighborhood and friendship agreement” and updating the 1998 Adana Agreement. The said agreement was signed with the primary goal of the expulsion of members of the terrorist group PKK from Syria.
