Kemal Ataturk wore ladies' underwear
I've been on holiday in Turkey for the last two weeks, and have spent the time absolutely longing to shout that phrase in the public square. It's illegal there you know. I actually regard Ataturk as a pretty positive historical figure, flawed in all sorts of ways but largely progressive and right on a lot of important points. But when something that trivial is illegal, my God does it chew you up. Yah boo sucks to anyone who was planning to say that political liberty is a secondary goal to development.
Oddly enough, I never really had much of an urge to say anything nasty about the Turkish people (a bloody nice bunch as far as I could tell), the Turkish nation (no better or worse than any other, although they did massacre the Armenians), the Turkish flag (an unexceptional piece of vexilology - nice white crescent and star on a red background) or the Turkish lira (which hardly needs me mocking it, although it seems to be holding up a little better since the last major currency reform - at one point during the hyperinflation period there was a current of opinion among nationalist MPs demanding that the central bank take Ataturk's picture off the notes, as it was disgracing his memory to have him associated with the TL).
The moment the aeroplane took off and I was once more breathing the air of liberty, all urges to insult Ataturk seemed to evaporate.
(I might post something at CT on this general subject, and on the purpose of the Turkish national defamation laws, which is to screw the Islamists, and on the way in which they're abused. But I need to be careful as I don't want us to get banned in Turkey).
Is it that there is a general law against defaming Ataturk, or a specific law prohibiting the claim that wore ladies' underwear?
ReplyDeleteIs there a sliding scale of punishment, whereby, say, suggesting he wore Bridget pants is worth a small fine, whereas a thong would get you 50 lashes?
ReplyDeleteI very much doubt you've been on holiday at all, it's just a way of explaining away the paucity of posts on here and Aaronovitch Watch.
ReplyDeleteNext time try "I've been in hospital".
That's what the world needs, more Ronald Searle allusions, and I mean that sincerly
ReplyDeleteActually, DD, you might want to do a little research on how many European countries also have similar defamation laws. True, they're mostly unused, but that doesn't mean they've been lifted from the books. I had a look when I did an internship for the OSCE about a decade ago, and there were a fair number. So all Turkey really needs to do is stop enforcing it; if the EU members get snippy (or should I say when?), it will only be necessary to point to the number of current members with similar legislation.
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