Int’l community condemns appointment of Yusuf Yerkel, who kicked protester, to Germany

Following the announcement that Yusuf Yerkel, who kicked a protester after the Soma mine disaster in 2014, had been appointed to a lucrative post in Germany, Turks reacted harshly. Now, the international community is joining them.

Duvar English

The international community is joining Turkish citizens in their call for the withdrawal of Yusuf Yerkel as a commercial attache to Frankfurt. In 2014, Yerkel, then an aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was filmed kicking a protester after the Soma Mine Disaster.

Yerkel’s appointment was first reported earlier this week, to the outrage of many in Turkey. When an explosion in the Eynez coal mine in Soma, in the Aegean region of Turkey, killed in 2014, Yerkel was part of the Presidential convoy - largely considered insufficient - that visited the town where the disaster occurred. 

Close relationships between mine executives and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)-led government allegedly lead to a lack of oversight of mine conditions, which many in the town saw as the cause of the disaster. When Erdoğan spoke during his visit to the town, he drew ire for dismissing the deaths as a part of the job. On the same trip, Yerkel was captured kicking a man protesting.

The incident was captured on video and in photos and circulated widely on social media, a demonstration of the government’s apathy and violence towards those protesting the incident.

Despite this, Yerkel was three months appointed to a luxe governmental post in Frankfurt. Despite having no economics education, Yerkel is to act as the Turkish commercial attache there and will receive a salary of 6,000 euros a month. He will also receive a brand new Mercedes, free housing, free education for his children, free social security payments, and free - non-urgent - medical care. The appointment was approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President Erdoğan himself.

Yerkel is to replace Tansu Günendi, an experienced economist.

When Turkish citizens and politicians learned of this, they condemned the appointment. Many opposition politicians posted photos of the Soma incident on social media. In the midst of this criticism, Yerkel flew to Frankfurt to begin appointment proceedings.

Now, German politicians, media, as well as the international press are also criticizing the appointment. European newspapers from Austria, to Belgium, to Germany, to France, ran pictures of Yerkel with headlines such as, “Erdoğan's deputy who kicked workers found a job in Frankfurt" or "The deputy who kicked was assigned to Europe.”

There are approximately 7 million Turks living in Germany, and the population has a significant presence in German society. As a result, politicians and unions representing Turks in Germany also responded. The German Turkish Society (TGD) said they could not “accept and tolerate such an unqualified appointment.” The Social Democratic Party of Germany said they disapproved of the appointment. 

Saadet Sönmez from the German Left Party said, “Anyone who kicks a defenseless worker lying on the ground should not be a Commercial Attaché in the Turkish Consulate General. This person cannot represent the Turkish community.”

Yerkel is currently in Germany looking for a house but has not yet been approved by the German government.