ژورنال سایت خبری سیاسی ژورنال
English Journal is published on Fridays
PDF-English Journal-6 September 2025-No30
In recent days, a Bosnia-Herzegovinan gymnast and influencer’s pole dance on a pole that was flying the Turkish flag provoked outrage from authorities. Turkish officials called it an “insult to the flag” and moved to arrest the performer.
Why should a piece of cloth be imbued with such sanctity that an artistic performance becomes a crime? Interestingly, the performer said in her defence: “Every Turk who was present that day was amazed by my dance.” This positive response from ordinary people starkly contrasts with the government’s excessive sensitivity, revealing that the issue is not “respect for the flag” but rather the suppression of dissenting voices and curtailment of personal and social freedoms.
Belief in the sanctity of the flag is as absurd as belief in any other imaginary “sacred” construct imposed by religions and ideologies.
The history of flags is not one of peace and coexistence, but of bloody wars, colonialism, fascism and extreme nationalism. Every flag has symbolised the dominance of one ideology over another, raised at the expense of humiliating, oppressing or destroying others. Flags have been less symbols of unity than of power struggles.
The Turkish government’s use of “insult to the flag” to suppress free expression is part of its authoritarian drift. Each time, under one pretext or another—a painting, an Instagram post, or now a dance—it seeks to silence dissent.
The same trend has been seen in the United States under Trump’s fascistic policies, where flag desecration bans have further curtailed freedoms and promoted nationalist, anti-human fascism. Such actions are not signs of strength but of governments’ fear of art, critique, and social freedom.
We must oppose this reactionary tide, and defend unconditional freedom of expression, which includes the right to criticise any so-called “sacred” symbols. People’s organisations must mobilise to resist these assaults.
Editor: Patty Debonitas
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