When Internet portals posted my analysis on their Web sites, bloggers on these Web sites buzzed with hysterical plaudits and support for the person threatening me. When I read the comments I observed that it was mostly neo-nationalists, who, without reading a single article of mine, considered me to be an enemy of this country just because I was writing for Taraf. Based on the comments, I observed an interesting angle of Turkish society: Those in opposition, such as intellectuals, journalists and academics who criticize the state and its anti-democratic practices, are perceived as the enemy of this country. They are not considered an opposition that has the right to criticize their own state and government.For instance, a commentator wrote this: AKP [Justice and Development Party] supporters are equal to the Greater Middle East Initiative supporters who are equal to US supporters who are equal to supporters of imperialism who are then, in fact, the supporters of the Crusaders. This is equivalent to being the enemy of Muslims.
Another commentator wrote this: Taraf is a newspaper that receives support from the CIA to support the AKP government. The readers of Taraf include Kurdish nationalists, Islamists, Armenians and their sympathizers and Alevis. The purpose of these people is to change the characteristics of the Turkish state. The CIA makes you dream about this, but we will awaken you soon, don’t worry.
These two comments best summarize both the intellectual capacity of neo-nationalist supporters and their anger toward those who criticize the practices of the Turkish state and its poor level of democracy.
The existence of such sociopathic groups is a security problem for Turkey for two reasons. First, their intellectual level provides a perfect opportunity for criminal networks such as Ergenekon to recruit so that it can produce devastating political effects for this country if they are not stopped. Second, when their anger encounters the right political climate, they could declare a significant part of this society as an enemy that needs to be eliminated. In fact it has happened in Trabzon, Malatya and İstanbul in the past few years. The angry lumpen neo-nationalists found the right climate in Trabzon in 2004 and 2007, which fed the neo-nationalist youths who killed a priest and wounded another in the Black Sea region and İzmir, respectively. In addition, Hrant Dink was murdered as an outcome of this climate. Furthermore, three Christian missionaries were brutally killed in Malatya. It appears that the neo-nationalists are working on vilifying those who do not share views that are similar to theirs. In fact, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) further enflamed the tension when its deputy chairman pointed out Taraf as a target for MHP supporters.
The level of animosity toward the AKP and its supporters, and especially Taraf, is at a high level, with its intensity being akin to social trauma. It appears that a significant number of members of this society have recently been traumatized by psychological warfare operations aimed at them in order to seek public support for the Ergenekon network. At this moment they want to remove the AKP government from power and somehow silence the opposition who criticizes state institutions such as the military. Such an unattainable aim makes them angrier, therefore, they vilify those in opposition. Even if they achieve their goal of removing the AKP from power, the intensity of the animosity among them is so great that it could become a problem for the next government; their level of anticipation is so high that it cannot be satisfied if the incoming party does not implement revolution-like policies. Therefore, regardless of their success or lack thereof, the neo-nationalist animosity toward the AKP government and its so-called supporters is a security threat for this country.
