Erdogan’s media draw on conspiracy theory

Mahmoud El-Batakoushy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan takes advantage of everything to make personal gains out of his country’s crises in a way that serves his ambitions. Erdogan is taking advantage of COVID-19 crisis to get rid of his political enemies.

Erdogan is using his media to persuade the Turkish people that COVID-19 is a result of some biological warfare. The pro-Erdogan media are claiming that COVID-19 is a selective virus developed by the Zionists in collaboration with Fethullah Gulen’s loyalists who want to spread the virus among the Turks.

A TV announcer claimed on the Turkish news channel, A Haber, which is owned by Erdogan’s family, that the virus is a Zionist conspiracy.

Another show broadcast by the abovementioned channel alleged that COVID-19 is aimed at killing the elderly so that “the world be younger”.

According to Erdogan and his media supporters say that the opposition Republican People’s Party, the Turkish business community, Jews, Germany, the Israeli Mossad, and Fethullah Gulen instigated the local and foreign conspirators against Turkey.

Erdogan used to draw on the same political approach whenever he reached a dead end. He refused graft investigations in December 2013, when he, his son, four of his ministers and other members of the Justice and Development Party were accused of corruption. Erdogan claimed that the accusations were a conspiracy plotted by Gulen.

Erdogan and his supporters also drew on the same approach when the Turkish people faced a shortage of basic commodities during the recent economic slump and he blamed what he described as conspirators for the crisis.

In the wake of all this, it is not surprising that Erdogan’s loyalists are drawing on the same approach with COVID-19, which will expose the poor healthcare situation in Turkey.

The Turkish ruling regime is using that as a tactic against the public disapproval of Erdogan’s healthcare policies.