Erdogan Supporters Hijack Twitter to Support Venezuelan Dictator Maduro

Visit by Turkey's Erdogan boosts Venezuela's Maduro
AFP
John Hayward

Turkey’s authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his support for semi-deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday and Thursday. Erdogan supporters, and even some of his critics, enthusiastically followed his lead and pushed their #WeAreMADURO hashtag to the top of trending topics on Twitter.

Middle East Eye translated some of the #WeAreMADURO posts, noting Turks were apparently deeply impressed by a photo of Maduro holding up Turkic flags as a “sign of respect” for his brothers on the Bosphorus.

The tweets included messages such as:

The US, which has kept alive the Saudi administration that cut Khashoggi into pieces and perpetrated a coup against elected [Egyptian President Mohammed] Morsi, is now trying to attempt a coup against elected Maduro. Against the great Satan, we chant #WeAreMaduro.

The US is conducting a coup against Venezuelan President Maduro who picked our flag off the ground, but the EU is silent, the UN is silent. We weren’t silent against the coups, and we won’t be. #ImWithMaduro #WeAreMaduro

According to analysts quoted by Middle East Eye, support for Maduro is one of the most politically unifying events in recent Turkish history, with even Turkish opposition newspapers chipping in to denounce what they see as a U.S. bid to overthrow Maduro and steal Venezuela’s oil:

Murat Yetkin, a respected liberal journalist, tweeted: “US’s post-modern coup attempt in Venezuela cannot be accepted. The suffering of the people who live in the country with richest oil reserves under the Maduro administration doesn’t change that. The decision cannot be taken by the US or Trump. Next, there might be an occupation, by the US or its collaborators.”

Ismail Saymaz, a seasoned investigative journalist from Hurriyet daily newspaper known for his opposition to Erdogan’s rule, followed the trend.

“There has been numerous coup attempts or provocations originating from the US in Venezuela,” he wrote. “[They] want to take down [Venezuela], not because it is mismanaged or poor, but because it is financing a unity in Latin America independent from the US.”

Many leftist and socialist parties, including the Turkish Workers Party (TIP) and the Homeland Party (VP) condemned the “US-backed coup attempt” in the country.

Turkey’s Ahval News reported on Thursday that “almost all comments” posted on the worldwide trending #WeAreMADURO hashtag came from Turkey. Some of the posts came from Turkish officials and pro-government newspapers. Others came from common user accounts but boasted propaganda images with Maduro on them in Turkish.

Turkish support for Maduro is purportedly driven by the belief he faces a coup similar to the one beaten back by Erdogan in the summer of 2016, mutual dislike for the United States and its allies (especially Saudi Arabia), and big-ticket export and construction deals with Turkey signed by the Maduro regime.

A Turkish Gulfstream G550 private jet attracted some notice on Wednesday by flying from Istanbul to Caracas via Vnoukovo airport in Moscow. The plane evidently belonged to Turkish billionaire Turgay Ciner; there has been speculation he brought Russian officials with him to visit Caracas.

Erdogan himself referred to Maduro as his “brother” and pledged, “Stay strong, we are by your side.” Erdogan reportedly urged Maduro to “stand tall” in a telephone conversation on Thursday. The Turkish president previously blamed Venezuela’s economic troubles on U.S. sanctions.

Turkey’s reliably insane pro-Erodgan newspaper Yeni Safak did its bit for Maduro with a piece on Thursday alleging a massive CIA plot to overthrow Maduro by using sock puppets to say bad things about him on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

Venezuelans are considerably less enchanted with Erdogan than Turks are with Maduro, especially those Venezuelans who are suffering from the food crisis. They reacted with outrage when Maduro treated himself to a fabulous steak dinner in October at the Istanbul eatery owned by Turkish celebrity chef “Salt Bae.”

As Bloomberg News explained, the corpulent dictator’s rib-sticking meal was the latest in a string of indignities Erdogan’s government has inflicted upon Maduro’s captive subjects:

Turkish products—pasta, rice, and corn flour—fill the heavily discounted food packets Venezuelan officials use to maintain political fealty among the increasingly cash-strapped citizenry. The two countries recently announced joint ventures for gold and coal exploration and have begun talks about Turkey investing in Venezuela’s crippled oil industry. And while most big North American and European air carriers have ended service to Venezuela, Turkish Airlines does a three-times-a-week run to Caracas, via Cuba, and plans to step it up to daily flights.

Tons of Venezuelan gold—strip mined in rancid conditions overseen by the military—are being shipped to Turkey for refinement and processing. U.S. officials say some may be making its way to Iran in violation of sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Another Bloomberg piece on Thursday noted that when Venezuelan Economy Vice President Tareck el-Aissami visited Ankara last week to meet with Erdogan, he chose a Turkish gold refinery as the venue for his remarks on improving “friendship and cooperation” between the two countries.

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