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2021 Boğaziçi University protests

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2021 Boğaziçi University protests
Date4 January 2021 – 15 July 2021 (6 months, 1 week and 4 days)
Location
Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey
Caused byAppointment of Melih Bulu as rector of Boğaziçi University
Goals
  • Resignation of Melih Bulu
  • Election of rectors by the university
  • Preservation of academic freedom and scientific autonomy
MethodsDemonstrations
Resulted inRemoval of Melih Bulu from his position by a decree from Erdoğan on 15 July 2021[1]
Parties
Lead figures

No centralized leadership

Casualties
Arrested9[10]
Detained560[11]

The 2021 Boğaziçi University protests were demonstrations that started on 4 January against the appointment of Melih Bulu by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as rector of Boğaziçi University, which is one of the top academic institutions in Turkey.

Background

Melih Bulu, who has ties to the ruling AKP, was appointed as rector by presidential decree on 2 January 2021. According to faculty, Bulu was the first rector chosen outside the university since the 1980 coup d'état.[12] After the coup, Ergün Toğrol, who was an academician in Istanbul Technical University, had been appointed as the rector of Boğaziçi University.[13]

Protests

Hundreds began protesting on 4 January following the appointment, chanting slogans such as "Melih Bulu is not our rector" and "we don't want a plagiarist rector". In a shared statement, faculty regarded the appointment as a violation of "academic freedom and scientific autonomy, as well as the democratic values" of the Boğaziçi.[12][14]

Later on the day, one of the university's buildings was sealed off by students who were able to enter the campus. Then, protesters clashed with the police as they tried to break a barricade in front of the entry to the university, causing security forces to use pepper spray to disperse the demonstrators. Two students were detained in the course of protests.[12][15][16] By 6 January, 36 students were in detention.[17] Protests by students and faculty outside the rector's office have continued into February,[18][19] with many other Turkish universities and Boğaziçi alumni associations abroad joining in protest against the appointment.[20]

As part of an art exhibition organised for the protest, an artwork on campus reportedly depicting the Kaaba alongside a LGBT flag and a figure of Shahmaran led to the arrest of four students, who were in the exhibition team.[21][22] Turkish Ministry of Interior Süleyman Soylu referred to the arrested students as "four LGBT perverts", causing Twitter to later restrict his tweet.[23] After this event, Boğaziçi University LGBT Studies Club was closed by order from Melih Bulu.[24] Bulu defended and claimed himself as a LGBT rights advocate.[25]

On 1 February, police blocked the gate of the South Campus to prevent demonstration. Water cannon and barricades were installed.[26][27] Later that night, police stormed the campus and detained 159 students.[28][29][30] Several protestors in İzmir and 69 in Ankara were also detained.[31][32][33] On 2 February, Turkish police arrested and detained 104 near the university in Kadıköy, and responded to demonstrators with tear gas and rubber bullets.[34] Citizens of Istanbul banged pots and pans in many parts of the city to show their solidarity with the protest.[35] On 3 February, 50 people were detained in Izmir.[36]

On 12 March, students were arrested because they were showing rainbow flags during a demonstration.[37][38][39][40] On 26 March, students protested in front of the justice palace in Istanbul for their release. During this demonstration another 50 students were detained.[41][42][43] On 1 April, a demonstration took place in Kadıköy. 35 students were detained and they were released by night.[44]

Reactions

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that "a routine appointment" was "being used to provoke the universities."[45] He also named protestors as "terorists" and denounced LGBT youth.[46][47] MHP chairman Devlet Bahçeli stated in his written statement that the rector was appointed by legal means and the issue was closed. Bahçeli added that the protesters should not "strain their chances" and "not get caught up in anarchist projects", describing the protests "a conspiracy that needs to be crushed."[48] Erdoğan's Secretary of Interior Soylu stated that rector elections do not need to be democratic.[49][50]

The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu from the center-left main opposition party CHP, supported the protests.[51] Canan Kaftancıoğlu, the chairwoman of the CHP branch in İstanbul also spoke in solidarity with the protest and was named by Erdoğan "a terrorist of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front." This led to a criminal complaint against the president by Kaftancıoğlu.[52]

23 days after the nomination of the new rector, no academic from the university had agreed to assist Bulu as vice-rector.[53][54] As of 1 February, Prof. Dr. Gürkan Kumbaroğlu and Prof. Dr. Mehmet Naci had been appointed as two of his assistants.[55] As of 24 March, Prof. Dr. Fazıl Önder Sönmez had been appointed as the last assistant to the rector.[56]

On 6 February 2021, 2 new faculties have been opened by the Turkish Presidency.[57] Protestors have seen this move as a creation of new staff to work with Bulu and giving legitimacy to him.[58][59] In March 2021 around 70 teachers of the university filed a lawsuit to depose Bulu from his office.[60][61] Meanwhile, Bulu appointed the physicist Naci Inci, who also agreed on the vice-chancellor position, to be the leader of the social-scientific center of the university.[62] After 6 months of protest, Bulu was removed by another presidential decree.[63]

Analysis

In a column of the newspaper İleri Haber, Baran Doğan stated that since the government could not stop the protests through "oppression, violence and threats", they claimed that most of the demonstrators were not students but provocative terror groups in order to overshadow the legitimacy of the protests.[64]

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2021/07/20210715M1.pdf
  2. ^ a b c "Yıldız Teknik, ODTÜ ve Galatasaray Üniversitesi öğrencilerinden 'Melih Bulu' tepkisi". 12 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Ankara Üniversitesi öğrencilerinden Boğaziçililere destek". 12 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Ankara'da Boğaziçi eylemine müdahale: 30 gözaltı". 12 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Bakanlığın onayladığı Beykoz'daki talan planına yurttaşlardan tepki: 'Derhal iptal edilsin'". 12 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Boğaziçi University academics protest Erdoğan's rector appointment as police flood campus". www.duvarenglish.com/.
  7. ^ "ODTÜ'lü Akademisyenlerden Boğaziçi'ne Destek". www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/.
  8. ^ a b c "Boğaziçi protestolarına destek artıyor". Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Boğaziçi'nde rektör protestosu". www.haberturk.com.
  10. ^ "Boğaziçi direnişi bilançosu: 560 gözaltı, 9 tutuklama" (in Turkish). Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Boğaziçi direnişi bilançosu: 560 gözaltı, 9 tutuklama" (in Turkish). Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Reuters Staff (4 January 2021). "Turkish police clash with students protesting Erdogan-appointed university head". Reuters. Retrieved 5 January 2021. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ "12 Eylül'den sonra ikinci". www.sozcu.com.tr. Retrieved 3 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi'nde Melih Bulu protestosu: 'Kayyum istemiyoruz'". birgun.net (in Turkish). Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  15. ^ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Hundreds Protest In Istanbul Against New University Rector". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Students in Turkey Protest Rector Tapped to Head University".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "Boğaziçi students in Kadıköy: 'Release our friends from detention'". bianet.org. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  18. ^ English, Duvar (21 January 2021). "Boğaziçi University students hold Pride March on third week of protests against Erdoğan's rector". Duvar English. Retrieved 24 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Gall, Carlotta (1 February 2021). "Prestigious Istanbul University Fights Erdogan's Reach". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Boğaziçi University starts resistance against government-appointed trustee rector '". Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Campus Guards intervene with Boğaziçi University Resistance Exhibition". dokuz8HABER (in Turkish). 28 January 2021. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  22. ^ "TARGETED BY RECTOR, STATE OFFICIALS: Two Boğaziçi University students arrested, two placed under house arrest". Bianet - Bagimsiz Iletisim Agi. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Twitter'dan Süleyman Soylu'nun nefret söylemi içeren tweetlerine kısıtlama". birgun.net (in Turkish). Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  24. ^ "ANNOUNCED BY PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Boğaziçi University's LGBTI+ Studies Club closed by the appointed rector". Bianet - Bagimsiz Iletisim Agi. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  25. ^ LGBTI+, Kaos GL-News Portal for. "Bulu after shutting down the LGBTI+ Club: "I'm an LGBT rights advocate"". Kaos GL - News Portal for LGBTI+. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  26. ^ "Çok sayıda Boğaziçi Üniversitesi öğrencisi gözaltına alındı!". Jurnal Türkiye (in Turkish). 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Boğaziçi'nde yeni gözaltılar". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  28. ^ "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi'ndeki gösterilerde 159 kişi gözaltına alındı". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  29. ^ "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Güney Kampüs'e polis girdi, öğrencilere müdahale etti". BBC News Türkçe (in Turkish). Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  30. ^ "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi'ne polis girdi, rektör Bulu'yu protesto eden onlarca öğrenci gözaltına alındı!". T24 (in Turkish). Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  31. ^ "İzmir'de Boğaziçili öğrencilere destek eylemine polis müdahalesi; gözaltılar var". T24 (in Turkish). Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  32. ^ "Boğaziçi eylemlerinde gözaltı sayısı 228'e yükseldi: Öğrencilerin bir bölümü adliyeye sevk edildi". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  33. ^ "Ankara'da Boğaziçi Üniversitesi ile dayanışma eylemine polis müdahalesi: Çok sayıda gözaltı var". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  34. ^ "Kadıköy'de biber gazlı, plastik mermili müdahale!". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Istanbul: Festnahmen bei Studenten-Protesten". FAZ.NET (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  36. ^ "İzmir'de çok sert müdahale: 51 kişi gözaltına alındı". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  37. ^ "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi'nde gökkuşağı bayrağı taşıyan öğrenciler gözaltına alındı".
  38. ^ "Polis, Boğaziçi kapısında: Çok sayıda gözaltı var" (in Turkish). 25 March 2021.
  39. ^ "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi'nde öğrencilere polis saldırısı: En az 12 gözaltı! - HABERLER Son Dakika".
  40. ^ "BOĞAZİÇİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ'NDE 12 KİŞİ GÖZALTINA ALINDI - Son Dakika" (in Turkish).
  41. ^ "Over 40 Boğaziçi students detained for protesting former pride flag detentions".
  42. ^ "Gözaltına alınan arkadaşlarına destek veren Boğaziçi öğrencileri gözaltına alındı!".
  43. ^ "Turkey detains 50 more people after university protests", Reuters (in German), retrieved 27 March 2021
  44. ^ "BOĞAZİÇİ PROTESTS: Detained in İstanbul's Kadıköy, students released". Bianet - Bagimsiz Iletisim Agi. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
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  47. ^ "Turkey's Erdogan denounces LGBT youth as police arrest students". BBC News. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  48. ^ "Bahçeli, Boğaziçi eylemlerini hedef aldı: Başı ezilmesi gereken bir komplo!". BirGün (in Turkish). Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  49. ^ "İçişleri Bakanı Süleyman Soylu canlı yayında soruları yanıtladı". Konhaber (in Turkish). Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  50. ^ "Soylu konuşuyor: Rektör seçimlerinin illa çok demokratik mi olması gerekiyor?". İleri Haber (in Turkish). Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  51. ^ "Ekrem İmamoğlu'ndan Boğaziçi Üniversitesi öğrencilerine destek". Cumhuriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  52. ^ "Erdogan zu den Uni-Demos: "Dahinter stecken Terroristen"". nex24 (in German). Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  53. ^ Gazetesi, Evrensel. "Boğaziçi'nde akademisyenler Melih Bulu'nun yardımcılığını yapmayı kabul etmiyor". Evrensel.net (in Turkish). Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  54. ^ "AKP'li Melih Bulu'nun atanmasından sonra kimse rektör yardımcılığı görevini kabul etmedi". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  55. ^ Şafak, Yeni (8 February 2021). "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi'ne yeni rektör yardımcıları". Yeni Şafak (in Turkish). Retrieved 30 March 2021.
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  60. ^ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com). "Boğaziçili akademisyenlerden Danıştay'a "Rektör atama" davası | DW | 01.03.2021" (in Turkish).
  61. ^ "Boğaziçili akademisyenler, Melih Bulu'nun atamasının iptali için Danıştay'a başvurdu".
  62. ^ "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Atatürk Enstitüsü öğrencileri, Melih Bulu tarafından yapılan atamaya tepki gösterdi" (in Turkish).
  63. ^ English, Duvar (15 July 2021). "After six months of protests, Erdoğan sacks Boğaziçi University's appointed rector". www.duvarenglish.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  64. ^ "Baran Doğan yazdı | Boğaziçi direnişini kazanmanın yolu". İleri Haber. Retrieved 17 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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