10 steps to prevent ‘politics in the stadium’

AHMET HAKAN

- ONE: Football matches should be scheduled for 8 a.m.… Fans who are not fully awake at this hour will not even be able to whisper “We will win this game,” let alone chant political slogans.

- TWO: Melih Gökçek should be appointed as the sole authority in charge of ticket sales at all stadiums. It would then be inevitable that the slogan “Incompetent Kılıçdaroğlu/Close the CHP” would be heard at all stadiums in the country, but these slogans, I suppose, would not be assessed within the category of “political slogans.”

- THREE: A list of “objectionable slogans” should be distributed by the police at the entrances to stadiums… The list should be updated every week so that measures can be taken against new slogans that fans would come up with their creative intelligence.

- FOUR: Small cameras should be installed in the stands focusing on the faces of the spectators. Images should be carefully reviewed by “lip-reading experts” always at hand at the to-be-established center to “monitor and follow up on political slogans chanted in stadiums.” Those who chant political slogans could be caught red-handed through this method.

- FIVE: Legal blood-alcohol content ratios that are suitable for stadiums should be announced beforehand. Then, a delegation headed by Yıldırım Demirören should stand at stadium entrances with breathalyzers.

- SIX: At each stadium, an “anti-slogan team to counter those chanting objectionable slogans” should be formed. When objectionable slogans start being chanted, then the “team” should start shouting, “Look, you are committing a crime/It is forbidden to chant this slogan.”

- SEVEN: Taking measures against political slogans should not be enough; there should be further measures against those extremely controversial gestures as making a T sign with hands.

- EIGHT: The government should appoint staffed cheerleaders to each football team. Brothers such as Şafak Sezer, Doğuş and İsmail Türüt should be made use of in this aspect.

- NINE: Pro-government political scientists should change the definition of secularism as “separation of football and politics.” This should be incorporated into a weekly standard sermon for mosques.

- TEN: If there still are some people who attempt to chant political slogans despite all these measures taken, then Mehmet Ali Şahin from the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) should issue a statement saying, “Chanting political slogans in stadiums are crimes that will result in life sentences,” so that fear descends upon football fans.

Why has Can Dündar been fired?

He has been fired. They sent him packing from his newspaper. What did Can Dündar do so that he was sent packing?

Really, what did Can Dündar do?

Did he insult this or that using unacceptable words? Did he threaten social peace?

Did he act against the universal principles of publishing?

Did he name some people? Did he take sides? Did he undermine the peace process? Did he instigate hate in his pieces? Did he murder anybody? Did he encourage stealing? Did he degrade the divine?
Did he commit a hate crime? What did he do?

Can Dündar is one of the most read writers in Turkey…

I am asking those who let him go:

What did Can Dündar do?

What was his crime? If not one by one, please just explain it in any way you can.

Ahmet Hakan is a columnist for daily Hürriyet in which this piece was published on Aug 2. It was translated into English by the Daily News staff.