Theology dean threatens Boğaziçi University students, says 'we'll go out at night, get the job done'

The dean of Trakya University's Theology Faculty said that they will not protest like the Boğaziçi community, but instead will "go out at night, get the job done and go to work the next day." The dean also said that they don't need to take the Muslim ablution before going out, meaning that they are already sanctioned by God.

Tuesday February 09 2021 01:13 pm

Turkish police officers detain protesters during a rally in support of Boğaziçi University students protesting the appointment of Melih Bulu, a ruling Justice and Development Party loyalist, as rector of the university, in Istanbul, Feb. 4, 2021.

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The dean of Trakya University's Theology School issued a thinly-veiled threat against the Boğaziçi community for their more than month-long protests of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's appointment of a party member as rector to the prestigious university, OdaTV reported on Feb. 9.

Making a play on the word Boğaziçi, Dean Prof. Cevdet Kılıç told the protesters to "not even think about it," possibly referring to the demonstrations that have seen increasingly violent backlash from the government.

"We wanted you to know... Let me put it this way. You've been protesting for over a month. We don't protest. We go out at night, get the job done, and go to work the next day," said Kılıç who also serves as the university's general secretary.

The dean also said that they don't need to take the Muslim ablution before going out, meaning that they are already sanctioned by God.

Kılıç deleted his post upon backlash, although he suggested Boğaziçi University be closed, and a "real university" be opened in its place, in another post.

Tensions between Ankara and the Boğaziçi community have been increasing exponentially as the president and his ally Devlet Bahçeli call the protesters terrorists, and the latter's mafia leader ally wrote an open letter urging the appointed rector to remain in office despite the protests.