Why are streets quiet in Türkiye while the world is awash with protests for Palestine?

Dr. Dogacan Basaran Exclusive — The world has stood up against Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct.7. Israeli decision-makers are facing trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the brutal attacks, which resulted in approximately 35,000 deaths and unimaginable devastation in the region.

Civilians attempting to survive in the blockaded Gaza Strip are condemned to hunger and thirst. Large-scale protests are being organized worldwide against the massacres in Gaza.

In the U.S., students and security forces are confronting each other in many universities, including Columbia University. In France, demonstrations demanding a cease-fire for Gaza are taking place at many universities, including Sorbonne University.

The number of university students and academics arrested in campus protests in support of Gaza in major U.S. cities has already exceeded 2,000.

Moreover, from Germany to Colombia, from South Africa to Morocco, demonstrators are taking to the streets and chanting "Stop the genocide."

However, despite the government's steadfast support for the Palestinian resistance in Turkiye, anti-Israel protests remain weak. But why?

People aware of government's strong support for Palestine

The main dynamic of the demonstrations for Palestinian support in Western countries is the reaction of the public conscience after seeing the relentless support of Western states toward Israel's massacres.

Türkiye, on the other hand, has been conducting effective diplomacy to stop the genocide on international platforms since the beginning of the conflict and has been trying to coordinate the efforts of the international community.

Most recently, Türkiye has decided to cut off trade with Israel until humanitarian supplies are allowed to reach the Gaza Strip.

While some in Türkiye would like to see tougher measures against Israel, the general public believes that the government's anti-Israel stance is sufficient solidarity with the people of Gaza.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself is known to have participated in demonstrations in support of Gaza in Türkiye. This reduces the need for the public to express solidarity with Gaza because of the government's policies.

Economy on Opposition's agenda

The question of the Palestinian struggle is not among the main priorities of the opposition in Türkiye. The Republican People's Party (CHP), which became the first party with significant success in the local elections, prefers to make politics by emphasizing economic problems while issues such as Palestine remain in the background.

Attitudes of the left and conservative groups

The vast majority of leftist and conservative groups in Türkiye have historically been inclined to support the Palestinian issue. Recently, however, these groups have lacked their former dynamism.

Rising far right

In Türkiye, the rise of right-wing populism based on anti-immigrant sentiment has evolved into anti-Arabism. Although it does not include a significant part of society, the rising populist approach enables these groups to ignore the massacres in Gaza due to anti-Arab sentiment.