VIDEO: Turkish mayor raises eyebrows after hitting blind man

ISTANBUL

Altınok Öz, the mayor of Istanbul’s Kartal district, was filmed on Dec. 3 hitting the head of Özgür Uğur, the representative of the municipality’s disabled people unit, before slapping his cheek.

A Turkish mayor has drawn a furious reaction on social media after he jokingly slapped a blind man at an event for the International Day of Disabled Persons.

Altınok Öz, the mayor of Istanbul’s Kartal district, was filmed on Dec. 3 hitting the head of Özgür Uğur, the representative of the municipality’s disabled people unit, before slapping his cheek. Uğur was presenting a program for the International Day of Disabled Persons at the municipality.

Following an avalanche of online reactions, Öz, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), issued a statement, stressing that his actions were just a “joke.”

In the statement, the municipality’s public relations directorate claimed that Öz and Uğur are “as close as father and son,” and that the “joke” was actually a “greeting ritual” between the two.

The municipality’s statement also quoted Uğur defending the mayor. The disabled official called the gesture a “beautiful greeting,” adding that he “can understand it is the mayor” from the way he is jokingly being hit.

“Can’t people see the full picture? Are they blind?” he asked.