Prosecutors Open Investigation After İzmir Mosques Blare 'Bella Ciao' Song

Photo: Twitter

Click to read the article in Turkish

Several mosques broadcast the protest song "Bella Ciao," yesterday (May 20) in İzmir, western Turkey, videos shared on social media show.

The song blared at around 5 p.m., the time of midafternoon call to prayer, according to a statement by the Office of Mufti, the provincial religion authority. It said that "An act of sabotage was carried out by unknown people by interfering in the frequency of the central system for calls to prayer."

It added that it filed a criminal complaint regarding the incident.

İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced today that it has launched an investigation into the incident for "publicly degrading religious values." Both those who shared the videos and who made "praising or supportive comments" about the incident were being investigated, it said.

The police have also started an inquiry to find those who hacked the mosques' system.

Bella Ciao is a protest folk song originated in Italy. The song blared from mosques in several districts in İzmir was the Turkish version of it, known as "Çav Bella." (PT/VK)