Whispers become tweets as Turkish artists speak out against AKP
Turkish artists, authors and entertainers have begun openly expressing their political views after years of silence, angered by the Istanbul election turmoil and encouraged by the winning opposition candidate to speak up.
“Because they are artists, apparently they cannot speak. They will speak. Because they are businesspeople, apparently they cannot speak. They will speak. It is now time to speak up,” Ekrem Imamoglu said May 6, shortly after his mayoral mandate was annulled.
Addressing crowds gathered in Istanbul’s Beylikduzu district, where he was the local mayor for five years, Imamoglu’s powerful response to the Supreme Election Council (YSK) went out not only to Istanbul but to the entire country, prompting long-silent public figures to speak out — and this time without whispering.
