Beyazıt Öztürk, talk show host of the popular "Beyaz Show", has apologized after a woman who introduced herself as a teacher from the sou...
Beyazıt Öztürk, talk show host of the popular "Beyaz Show", has apologized after a woman who introduced herself as a teacher from the southeastern province of Diyarbakır and phoned in to the show complained about the deaths of civilians in the Southeast. The woman, Ayşe Çelik, expressed her frustrations to Öztürk, saying the media is not accurately portraying the conflict in the Southeast and underlining that children are dying due to clashes between security forces and the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Surprised to hear these comments on his talk show on Friday night, Öztürk thanked the woman and said: "We have been trying to get people to hear about what is happening as much as we can. What you said has taught us a lesson. We will continue to do more. I hope your wishes for peace come true as soon as possible," he said and asked the guests at the studio to praise Çelik. Öztürk and Turkey's Kanal D (Channel D) were then targeted by pro-government circles, which accused them of spreading propaganda for the PKK. Some media outlets and pro-government Twitter users even labeled Öztürk a traitor. In comments aired by Kanal D on Sunday night, Öztürk apologized for what happened on his show, saying he apologizes to those whom he unintentionally offended. Stating that his “brain stopped” after he heard the unexpected comments, he claimed he could not listen to what the woman was saying since he was thinking about what he would say in response to her. “What remained in my mind were her comments that something was happening there [in the Southeast] and we were having fun here. I told her that we would be more careful. I could not understand that she had different intentions in joining the show. I believed in her when she said she was a teacher but it seems that she was not,” Öztürk said, referring to a statement by the Ministry of Education saying the woman was not a teacher working for the ministry in Diyarbakır. “I have always wanted to make people smile. I do not want to be a tool for politics,” he added. Stating that he has no more to say other than what the “Turkish nation” thinks, Öztürk said he wants weapons to be laid down. “I would like to stress again that we stand by our nation and the state,” he added. Öztürk's apology comes on the heels of a similar statement by his station on Saturday. Kanal D released a statement on Saturday evening in the face of mounting criticism, claiming that it has been subjected to provocation, and vowed to take legal action against the woman. The station said Çelik told show staff before the airing what she was going to say to Öztürk's audience, but she did not mention her comments would be on the Southeast. Noting that Öztürk is a well-known TV personality who has never brought politics into his show, the statement said he was a victim of “provocation” by Çelik. It added that since Kanal D was established, it has always stood with the state in its fight against terrorism. “The Kanal D administration will launch all necessary legal action against this person in the face of this provocation,” the statement added. Also on Saturday, reports said an investigation was launched into Çelik on charges of spreading propaganda for the PKK. Turkey's Southeast has been the scene of fierce clashes between security forces and members of the PKK for months. A large number of civilians have been killed in confrontations between security forces and the PKK in southeastern towns and cities since a fragile cease-fire collapsed in late July. Curfews lasting for weeks have been imposed on several particularly tense districts in the provinces of Diyarbakır, Hakkari, Mardin, Şırnak and Van. According to a report released by the Human Rights Association (İHD) in October, more than 100 civilians have been killed in the region since late July. #financial_support_div{ display:none; position: absolute; width:300px; height:180px; margin-left: -150px; margin-top: -70px; /*- half of width and height */ top:50%; left:50%; padding: 5px; opacity:0.9; filter:alpha(opacity=90); z-index:1000; background-color:#000; color: white; } .close_box{ background: gray; color:#fff; padding:1px 3px; display:inline; position:absolute; right:1px; margin-right: -13px; margin-top: -13px; border-radius:3px; cursor:pointer; border: 1px #000 solid; } $(document).on("click",".close_box",function(){ $(this).parent().fadeTo(300,0,function(){ $(this).remove(); }); }); Loading the player ... Less
