Twitter removes MHP chair Bahçeli's tweet targeting Boğaziçi University students

Twitter on Feb. 4 removed a tweet by MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli concerning the Boğaziçi University protests. In a tweet on Feb. 3, Bahçeli had deemed students as “poisonous snakes whose heads need to be crushed.”

Thursday February 04 2021 10:45 pm

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Twitter on Feb. 4 removed a tweet by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, citing “violent threats” to Boğaziçi University students.

Bahçeli had referred to students as “poisonous snakes whose heads need to be crushed” in a series of tweets on Feb. 3.

The MHP on Feb. 4 issued a statement with regards to Twitter's move saying the social media giant had “limited access to some posts” of Bahçeli.

“Twitter and powers behind Twiter have supported those who demonstrated in front of Boğaziçi University and have connections with terror organizations,” the MHP's statement read.

Turkish cyberlaw expert Yaman Akdeniz also commented on the incident saying: “Thereby Twitter's Turkey policy has become clear.”

Twitter removed a tweet posted by AKP coalition MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli posted yesterday, claiming that the tweet violated its violent threats policy as the tweet referred to students as "poisonous snakes" whose heads needs to be quashed. https://t.co/8U5gZkxYvu
— Yaman Akdeniz (@cyberrights) February 4, 2021

Following Twitter's move, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu again targeted LGBT individuals, saying the social media platform had "formed a protection shied to terror organizations and deviant LGBT."

It referred to Twitter as a "toy of imperialism," claiming it "was trying to disrupt the chemistry of countries, democracy and peace."

Twitter has recently limited access to two tweets of Soylu over “hateful conduct.” In two separate tweets on Jan. 31 and Feb. 2, Soylu had referred to LGBT individuals as "perverts."

Topics Turkey Twitter Bahçeli MHP Boğaziçi