Comedian investigated in Turkey for calling Erdogan 'dictator'

A stand-up comedian in Turkey has sparked an official investigation after calling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a "dictator" during a performance. The comedian, Deniz Göktaş, also targeted Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and made jokes about the Quran in the same show.

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I will say something a bit unpleasant. I never liked Recep Tayyip Erdogan. I never said for a minute in my life: ‘I may not agree with his views, but he is a charismatic leader, he is tall, look how he always keeps his mustache at the same length.’ I never said any of that.

The performance, which included a video clip that garnered six million YouTube views in three days, led to Turkish authorities restricting access to the segment featuring Erdogan on platform X. The authorities cited national security and social cohesion as reasons for the restriction.

Göktaş's remarks, translated from Greek, included observations on Erdogan's personal development from a "shy dictator" to one "reconciled with his true self." He humorously suggested that online personal development videos might have influenced the president, prompting him to shed perceived limitations imposed by societal pressure, the constitution, and the populace.

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That Recep Tayyip Erdogan went from being a shy dictator to becoming a dictator who has reconciled with his true self… If you don't think about what this means for us… as personal development for himself, it's huge progress.

The incident highlights the sensitive political climate in Turkey, where criticism of the president can lead to legal repercussions. The widespread online attention to Göktaş's performance underscores the platform's role in disseminating potentially controversial content.

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So, the personal development videos on the internet are not only watched by well-meaning people. They watch them too. Obviously, one day he stumbled upon a really good video and said: ‘Yes, that's right! Why have you been limiting yourself for thirty years? Societal pressure, the texts written by the people, the constitution and such.’