Using critical discourse analysis, we evaluated news articles and columns that were published in Turkey’s national and local press in April 2023 that targeted national, ethnic, and religious identities, LGBTI+ people and women. You may access news clippings and detailed analysis at “Hate Speech in the Press: Our Selections from April”.

In Turkish print media within the month of April;

  • Hindus were labeled as responsible for the violence allegedly organized against Muslims in India and their identity was associated with violence.
  • Jewish identity was held responsible for the acts of a group of people through negative references and was labeled as aggressive.
  • In news reports covering the tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan and commemorations of the Armenian Genocide, Armenian identity was mentioned with expressions that reinforce prejudice and hostility.
  • The perception that Syrians pose a threat to social order was created by associating Syrian identity with crime and presenting the number of Syrian refugees as problematic.
  • Greek identity was associated with violence due to the state policies of Greece towards immigrants.
 

3 April 2023

1. Yeni Akit, "HINDU VANDALISM"
This news article reports on the alleged attack by a group on a mosque and madrasa in the city of Bihar in India. Even though, it is emphasized throughout the text that the responsibility for the attack lies with the group, the phrase ‘Hindu Vandalism’ links the group’s actions to Hindu identity and targets the identity by associating it with aggression. The news claims that the Hindu police did not intervene against the group and a Muslim trader was killed in Karnataka. In this way, the perception that Hindus pose a threat to Muslims is reinforced, and hostility towards the identity is inflamed.

 
4 April 2023

2. Diriliş Postası, "Armenian mine martyrs"
This news article reports on the statement of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry regarding the death of a soldier in the city of Tartar from the explosion of a mine supposedly left over from the Second Karabakh War. While reporting the statement in question, the phrase 'Armenian mine' in the headline associates Armenian identity with violence and presents it as a threat. Existing prejudices and perceptions of enmity towards Armenians are reinforced.

 
5 April 2023

3. Yeni Kıroba, "Syrian worker stabbed his friend"
This news article reports on a knife fight between two people in Aydın's Kuyucak district, with one of them losing his life as a result. However, while reporting on the incident in question, Syrian identity is emphasized in the headline and content of the news, even though the crime is not related to identity. As such, the perception that Syrians pose a threat to social order is reinforced and existing prejudices against refugees are inflamed.

 
6 April 2023

4. Gaziantep’te Zafer Gazetesi, "NOW A NATIONAL SECURITY PROBLEM"
This news article reports on an interview with a person who was injured after an alleged burglary in a house in Gaziantep as well as the statement of a parliamentary candidate on the issue. In the article, the injured person’s statement that the thief was Syrian is repeated without confirmation. Although identity is unrelated to the crime, Syrian identity is emphasized. In addition, the hate speech against Syrians in the politician's statement is not criticized. With the phrase in the headline, prejudices against Syrian identity are inflamed and Syrians are presented as a threat.

 
9 April 2023

5. Yeni Akit, "Jews attack Palestinians again"
This news article claims that members of an organization called Price Tag damaged Palestinian vehicles and wrote racist graffiti on walls in public spaces. With description of the incident in the headline, the actions of a group are generalized to Jewish identity which is associated with aggression. The word 'again' in the headline emphasizes the continuity of the incident and reinforces the perception that Jews pose a threat. Existing prejudices against Jews and the perception of enmity are inflamed.

 
10 April 2023

6. Yeni Mesaj, "Jews don’t behave themselves"
This news article reports on the raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque by a group in East Jerusalem. The headline attributes the responsibility of the group's actions to Jewish identity and portrays Jews as the aggressors. The news reiterates that a Jewish group called for a raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque during Passover, and Israeli police intervened against the Palestinians. As such, the existing perception of hostility and prejudices against Jews are reinforced.

 

12 April 2023

7. Yeni Akit, "Coast Guard rescues 75 migrants sent to their deaths by barbaric Greeks"
This news article reports on the actions of Greek Coast Guards, who pushed boats with migrants back into Turkish territorial waters in the Aegean Sea, with the number of people rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard in the headline. Through the inclusion of negative adjectives, the headline also generalizes the responsibility for the actions of the Greek coast guards to Greek identity, and as such Greeks are targeted by associating their identity with violence. Turkish identity is positioned as the savior against Greek identity and a hierarchical relationship between the two is established. Existing prejudices and hostility against Greeks are thus reinforced.

 
12 April 2023

8. Yeni Şafak, "Armenian provocation in Laçın"
This news article focuses on the tensions between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the border between the two countries. In the news, the statement made by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense is quoted and Armenian identity is held responsible for the tension between the two countries. In the headline, Armenian identity is associated with 'provocation' and targeted with the use of negative adjectives. Existing enmity against Armenians is reinforced.

 
12 April 2023

9. Akşam, "ARMENIANS OPEN FIRE: 3 AZERI SOLDIERS MARTYRED"
This news article quotes a statement by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on the violence between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Identity is held responsible for the political situation between the two countries. The headline associates Armenian identity with violence. In this way, existing perceptions of enmity against Armenians is reinforced.

 
16 April 2023 

10. Yeni Akit, “TREACHEROUS ARMENIAN BURNS THE AZERI FLAG”
This news article reports on the burning of the Azerbaijani flag by a spectator during the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championship held in Yerevan, and the subsequent withdrawal from the championship by the Azerbaijani team. While reporting on the incident, the news reiterates historical events between Armenia and Azerbaijan, claiming that the Armenians ‘could not digest' the Karabakh War and this claim associates them with the incident at the opening ceremony. In addition, the coverage of the incident in the Armenian press is presented as problematic, as it is reported that the person who burned the flag was declared a ‘hero’. In the headline, the responsibility of the action is attributed to Armenian identity with the use of negative adjectives. As such, existing hostility towards Armenians is reinforced.

 

17 April 2023

11. Milliyet, "Greek torture kills Barış"
This news article reports on the allegation that a Turkish migrant who irregularly crossed from Turkey to Greece was tortured and killed by Greek security forces, providing information on the forensics report and the testimonies of migrants who witnessed the incident. Identity is targeted as responsible for state policies of Greece towards migrants, and the headline associates Greek identity with violence. In this way, existing prejudices against Greeks are reinforced.

 
20 April 2023

12. Korkusuz, "Syrian student's exam paper"
This column criticizes the government's immigration policies and targets Syrians living in Turkey. The writer states that those who had to migrate to Turkey due to the civil war were not exposed to any danger in their home country and describes their continued residence in Turkey as a 'choice'. The column’s content problematizes the number of people coming from Syria and the birth rates of Syrian women. An exam paper allegedly belonging to a Syrian high school student is shared and it is emphasized that the answers given by the student will 'shake the belief system'. It is argued that the presence of Syrians poses a potential threat. It is claimed that people from Syria benefit from rights that are not granted to Turkish citizens. No information is provided about these rights and vague claims are made. In this way, prejudices against refugees are reinforced and hostility is inflamed.

 

23 April 2023

13. Diriliş Postası, "Indian cruelty to Muslims"
This news article states that Muslims were allegedly not allowed to perform Eid prayers in a mosque in the Kashmir region of India. Hindu identity is held responsible for the discriminatory policies implemented by the Indian government against the Muslim population living in the region. In the headline and content, Hindu identity is associated with violence, and the perception that Hindus pose a threat to Muslims is reinforced. The existing perception of hostility towards Hindus is inflamed.

 

23 April 2023

14. Ayrıntılı Haber, "The century of sedition and homosexual perversion”
In this column, sexual orientation and gender identity are targeted and a homophobic discourse is generated by referring to a statement made by a member of parliament about the Istanbul Convention. LGBTI+ people are associated with the tribe of Lot and with quotes from the Qur'an, are described as dangerous for 'public morality, children and the family structure'. The attitude of the President of Religious Affairs towards LGBTI+ people is defended, and gender identities and sexual orientations other than cis-heteronormative are described as 'deviant. In addition, civil society organizations and political parties active in the field of LGBTI+ rights are criticized. The existing perception of hostility towards LGBTI+ people is inflamed.

 

24 April 2023

15. Sabah, “REAL GENOCIDE WAS DONE TO TURKS”
This news article relates an academician's statement about the Armenian Genocide. However, the hate speech expressions in the answers of the academician are reproduced in the news content. In the statement in question, the actions against Armenians are called deportation instead of genocide, and a comparison between what Armenians and Turks went through is made. While the policies applied to Armenians are trivialized through this comparison, it is claimed that the Turks were subjected to genocide. Responsibility for what happened is placed on Armenian identity. Existing prejudices and hostility towards Armenians, which are associated with violence and persecution, are inflamed. The narrative of hostility between Armenian and Turkish identities is strengthened without mentioning the need for confronting this historical event that has left a mark in the collective memory.

 

25 April 2023

16. Akşam, “A Pack of Lies”
In this column, references are made to historical narratives while discussing the election process in Turkey. The author treated the Armenian Genocide as a 'lie', and the French, British, and Armenians who recognize the genocide are described as 'enemies of Turkey'. It is claimed that people who recognize the Armenian Genocide want a change of power in Turkey. With the phrase 'Armenian lie' in the content, Armenian identity is targeted and negative perceptions towards Armenians are reinforced.

 

26 April 2023

17. Türkiye’de Yeniçağ, "Turks don’t give way to Armenian lies in the USA"
This news article reports on a group of Turks gathering in front of the US Embassy in Washington after the April 24th Armenian Genocide commemoration march in the US and protesting against the US president. The news characterizes the banners carried by Armenians during the commemoration march as 'provocative' and claims that the Armenian Genocide is a 'century-old lie'. Negative perceptions of Armenians are reinforced and enmity between Armenian and Turkish identities is fomented.


This project is financed by the European Union.