An Alarming Attack in the Heart of Beyoğlu

An extremist mob attacked the headquarters of LeMan--a satirical magazine--on the false grounds that it published a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The ensuing footage was disturbing.

Barricades block off the main entrance of Imam Adnan Street.

On July 6, Imam Adnan Street, which is connected to the main pedestrian Istiklal Avenue in Beyoğlu, was completely blocked off. It had been for days. Police installed metal barriers around every entrance to the street, parked massive riot vehicles right in the middle of it, while hundreds of riot police guarded and patrolled the surrounding area. Imam Adnan Street is parallel to Mis Street, which is connected to Kurabiye Street and Süslü Saksı Street. This corridor has a large concentration of bars, cafes, meyhanes and grill houses, many of which have outdoor tables. It is a very lively area, particularly when the weather is nice.

Imam Adnan Street is home to LeMan, which is both a bar, venue and headquarters for the satirical magazine of the same name. It has been around the 1990’s, and is a mainstay of Beyoğlu, having survived more closures than almost any other bar in the area. On the evening of June 30, a mob of Islamists part of a group that is associated with the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders’ Front (IBDA-C)—which is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey—gathered in front of LeMan, broke down its door and pelted rocks through its windows. The mob shouted slogans like “The heretic LeMan will pay for this,” and “Down with secularism, long live sharia.” There is footage of one man shouting “Either they will die, or we will die!”

What were they doing there? The group had assembled on a street they would probably otherwise never pass through because they believed LeMan had published a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad, which of course is a grave sin in Islam. Police did disperse the crowd before anyone was hurt or killed, but they used relative restraint in dealing with these extremists compered to how they have treated other protestors, such as those trying to participate in the pride parade, the women’s march, and the Saraçhane demonstrations that took place following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. In the latter, heavy quantities of tear gas and rubber bullets were deployed.

Images of the mob carrying out this attack in the heart of Beyoğlu sent waves of horror throughout Turkey, because they resembled footage of one of the most horrific events in modern Turkish history, the 1993 Madımak Hotel massacre in the Anatolian city of Sivas. Huge crowds of Islamists gathered around the hotel, which was hosting a group of primarily Alevi intellectuals, writers and musicians who were there to attend a cultural festival. As the group outside the hotel swelled, the angry slogans grew louder and eventually the mob set fire to the hotel, killing 33 of the intellectuals and two hotel employees, who either died from smoke inhalation or burned to death. The police and military did not intervene, and the government declined to send in Gendarmerie forces to break up the masses. Many of the perpetrators never saw jail time. The timing of the Beyoğlu attack was also meaningful as the anniversary of the Madımak massacre was just two days later on July 2.

Editors and cartoonists from LeMan were subsequently arrested, even though they vehemently denied that the cartoon was a depiction of Prophet Muhammad. Anyone who looks at it would have no reason to believe that it was anything other than a cartoon character that happened to be named Muhammad, one of the most common names in the Muslim world. Nevertheless, many seized on the opportunity to politicize the issue, condemning the magazine for insulting religious values, which is the charge that the magazine’s publisher and employees face. Many were disappointed with İmamoğlu’s tepid response, while for his part, CHP leader Özgur Özel was uncompromising in his defense of LeMan.

The attack was a reminder that there are radical elements in this country that pose a threat to public safety and often operate with relative impunity. In the 21st-century, despite constant political turmoil, Turkish society has continued to evolve and develop into a country full of incredibly talented, intelligent, worldly and clever young people, and and it is worrisome that they feel threatened by violent extremists who represent a small fragment of the populace.