Turkish Police Force Man to Strip Down at Parliament
- Police forced man wearing an Ataturk t-shirt to take it off
- Ruling party rules out disrespect to nation’s founding father
Turkish flags decorated with the image of Kemal Ataturk.
Photographer: Kostas Tsironis/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A 60-year-old man found himself humiliated on Turkish TV when police forced him to strip down at parliament and remove a t-shirt bearing the image of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern and secular Turkey.
The incident is a stark illustration of how much Turkey has changed under the 15-year tenure of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who first as prime minister and now as president is remaking Turkey after his own design. It also exposes the increasing intolerance toward even any hint of opposition to his rule.