Turkish singer's masturbation video causes uproar on Twitter

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Cem Adrian. DHA Photo

Turkish musician Cem Adrian's latest video has social media users in an uproar, calling for the video to be banned with a hashtag quickly making the issue a trending topic on various social media websites.

The video contains footage of a young man in a bathroom, supposedly masturbating. Clips of a transvestite standing in a room are also screened as part of the video.

Some were so unhappy with the controversial images in Adrian's work that they took to Twitter to voice their objections. The hashtag "#CemAdrianınKlibiYasaklansın" (Ban Adrian's Video) was soon trending.

A large group disagreed with the critics and turned the spotlight back on the stifling atmosphere and lack of freedom of speech in Turkey.

One Twitter user blamed the opposing critics of "playing moral police."

"Those who called for the banning of Adrian's video should first close down the windows uploading porn videos," another tweeted.

"What I get from that trending topic is that nobody likes facing themselves," another said.

Adrian also took to Twitter to respond, saying that if the ban happens, it will not simply be a ban of the video, but of freedom of speech in general. "Even the freedom you have to say [negative remarks on the video],” the singer tweeted.

"The real question here on the masturbation scenes in my video is not ‘Don't you do it?’ but ‘How many times in a week?’” Adrian tweeted.

"I never made any of my art for TV or the radio. The state of music is the hypocrisy done to get more air time. The artist who degrades himself or herself to please the media is as guilty as the media that degrades itself to please politics," the singer said.