Besiktas fans this Sunday called for the resignation of the government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the stands of the game against Antalyaspor in the Turkish Football League, weeks after the earthquake that affected the south-east of the country.
“Government, dismissal,” thousands of fans chanted in the stands of the Inonu stadium, where toys and stuffed animals were thrown onto the lawn as a tribute to the children affected by the February 6 earthquake that affected southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, as a result of which killed about 50,000 people.
This initiative by supporters of Besiktas, historically close to the opposition, complements a similar initiative by Fenerbahce, coached by Portuguese Jorge Jesus, who on Saturday protested against the “lies” perpetuated by the executive branch.
After the earthquake, the tone of criticism of the Erdogan government increased, mainly due to inaction in response to the first days of the crisis, in the context of the economic crisis, with presidential and legislative elections scheduled for May 14.
On Saturday, Nationalist Action party leader Devlet Bahceli called any demonstration against the state “irresponsible”, asking clubs to take “urgent and necessary measures” to remove supporters who intend to oppose.
The February 6 earthquakes, centered in Turkey, followed by several aftershocks, some of them of high intensity, killed at least 50,000 people in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, figures are still preliminary.