Robin Fleming
The Disney Channel, a channel specifically for children, has sparked massive controversy with the announcement of a new up and coming TV series set to be released in October of 2023. The focus of their latest show is none other than Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish republic in 1923.
The reason for the outcry is quickly apparent, and it is even more clear who is upset by the ‘Atatürk’ show.
It is his association with genocides and massacres perpetrated by the late Ottoman empire that inspired this furore. While the Greek and Armenian genocides officially occurred when Atatürk was in the Ottoman military, prior to his presidency, in 1913 and 1915 respectively, claims made by Turkish nationalists that Atatürk’s hands are clean of blood are far from true. The Armenian genocide was conducted by the Young Turks, a political reform group looking to install a constitutional government, a group closely associated with Mustafa Kemal, as he was also once a member.
Furthermore, Mustafa Kemal had long-standing friendly relations with Mehmed Talaat Pasha, leader of the Young Turks and de facto leader of the Ottoman Empire from 1913 to 1918 and perpetrator of the genocide. In the aftermath of the genocide, Mustafa Kemal and Mehmed Talaat kept in frequent contact, even as Talaat was in Germany, and Talaat was known to be a strong supporter of Mustafa Kemal’s reign.
On this basis, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) criticised Disney for glorifying a ‘genocidal dictator’, making the ANCA one of the first groups to call for the series to be cancelled.
Unsurprisingly, droves of Turkish twitter trolls have lined up to harass the ANCA, telling them to ‘go cry’, sharing pictures of Mehmed Talaat Pasha or posting hateful memes of a Turkish soldier drinking Armenian tears. The ANCA themselves tweeted a response to a comment they received which said ‘they deserved it’ in reference to the Armenian genocide. ANCA said –
Members of the Syriac Orthodox church have also joined the outcry on social media, expressing disbelief that Disney would stream a show they claim glorifies a ‘Turkish Dictator and genocide supporter.’ Adding to the controversy are rumours that Harry Potter film star, Emma Watson, may join the cast of Atatürk.
But to understand why so many are so angry at this proposed series, we have to understand that the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lives on, and continues to affect people’s lives, not only their history. Alongside founding the Turkish republic at the death of the Ottoman empire, Atatürk can be credited as the founder of Turkish nationalism, specifically that brand of nationalism which denies the existence of any minority group within the modern borders of the Turkish state. ‘Turkey for the Turks’ was his rallying cry, and his chosen name Atatürk literally means ‘father of the Turks’.
Mustafa Kemal rose to power with the Lausanne treaty which stipulated amnesty for all Ottoman crimes from 1914 to 1922, meaning the perpetrators of the Armenian genocide would never be punished nor would victims get justice. The treaty also helped to draw the borders of Turkey as they are today. Armenian and Kurdish lands were carefully left unmentioned throughout the process of drawing up the treaty.
Mustafa Kemal should not only be condemned for what occurred in the past, but also the present as the effects of this rabid nationalism and supremacy are still affecting the Kurds today. The current Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdoǧan continues Mehmed Talaat and Atatürk’s legacy of Turkey for the Turks by suppressing the Kurdish language and Kurdish organising. Erdoǧan also continues to deny that the Armenian genocide ever occurred, as he lashed out at US President Joe Biden for recognising it in 2021. Follow Biden’s speech, the Turkish president retaliated, and blamed ‘radical Armenian groups’ for Biden’s comments –
“The US president has made comments that are groundless and unfair. We believe that these comments were included in the declaration following pressure from radical Armenian groups and anti-Turkish circles. But this situation does not reduce the destructive impact of these comments.”
Disney should recognise it is an insult to Armenians to ignore the deaths Atatürk help to erase from history, and it is an insult to Kurds and other minorities living in Turkey today to blind themselves to the fact that the Turkish nationalism Atatürk created is the reason why minorities continue to suffer in Turkey today.
