King of folk İbrahim Tatlıses backs Twitter ban – on Twitter

ISTANBUL

İbrahim Tatlıses sings with Kurdish musician Şiwan Perwer in Diyarbakır during a rally as part of the ongoing Kurdish peace process.

Famous Turkish folk singer İbrahim Tatlıses gave his support to Turkey's Twitter ban on March 23, adding that such restrictions "do not upset him at all."

In something of a paradox, however, Tatlıses announced his backing of the widely contested ban via his own Twitter account, by the name “imparatoribo,” or “İbo the Emperor” in English.

“The Twitter blackout did not upset me. First you insult [people] and then you say ‘this account is not mine.’ Go away, freely make suggestive insults, and then deny it,” Tatlıses tweeted, adding that Twitter was becoming an "unfriendly environment."

“Someone courageous would not deny such things, but since Twitter came out the jackals and bullies of the virtual world have proliferated,” he added.

Twitter was blocked by the Turkish government late March 21, hours after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed to “wipe out” the social media platform.

Tatlıses, who is one of the most renowned folk singers in Turkey, is also a successful businessman with interests in many sectors and recognized as the "King of the Lahmacun,” due to his venture in the Turkish spiced lamb pita market. He is also known to be a strong backer of the Prime Minister Erdoğan.