Assault perpetrator that led to social media outrage detained

KOCAELİ

A Turkish man has been detained by security forces in the northwestern province of Kocaeli’s Gölcük district after assaulting a hearing-impaired person because he thought the victim was an LGBT individual.

The assailant’s real name was reported to be Fırat Kaya, a convict of more than 30 violent crimes, and images of his assaults were shared on social media which led to mass outrage on March 25.

“The province is Aydın,” Kaya said in a caption of a photo he posted of himself with the victim he assaulted and gave the victim’s name.

Some anti-LGBTIQ+ comments and insults were also included in the caption.

The hashtag “Arrest Fırat Kaya” quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, while hundreds of thousands of tweets have condemned the assault, calling on the authorities to detain and arrest the attacker.

“Anyone who openly targets LGBTIQ+ is complicit in the violence and discrimination they experience because of their gender identity or sexual orientation,” said a tweet by the Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu (We Will Stop Femicides Platform).

The victim was hearing impaired, social media users soon revealed, adding that the perpetrator had previously caused a hearing-impaired woman’s hospitalization by physically assaulting her.

Some social media users found other videos of Kaya assaulting individuals, and said that he had a pattern of targeting hearing impaired people, with famous singer Gülben Ergen sharing a video of him hitting a person who was visibly trying to gesture words.

Kaya was detained after the Kocaeli Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant for him.