Erdoğan’s former advisor who kicked a miner in Soma comes into office in Frankfurt

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Appointed as a commercial attache to the Consulate General of Turkey in Frankfurt, Germany, Yusuf Yerkel has reportedly come into office.

The appointment of Yusuf Yerkel, the former advisor to the-then Prime Minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has caused huge public backlash in both Turkey and Germany as he kicked a miner during the protests against Erdoğan following the occupational homicide that claimed the lives of 301 miners in Manisa's Soma district in 2014.

As reported by Ali Gülen from daily Sözcü, after the former commercial attache left the office, Yerkel came into office on February 28. All social rights, retirement premiums and healthcare benefits of Yerkel will now be paid by Turkey and he will also receive a net 6,000 Euro salary.

Having graduated from the Kartal Imam Hatip (Islamic Vocational) High School in İstanbul, like Erdoğan's son Bilal Erdoğan, Yusuf Yerkel, as a commercial attache, will direct the trade from Germany's Hessen state to Turkey, lead the investments and deal with the customs proceedings.

Yerkel will also distribute the payments such as "brand support or export support" to the companies originating from Turkey.

On the other side, the people from Turkey living in Germany are still protesting against the appointment of Yusuf Yerkel. Unions and several associations have announced that their protests will continue.

What happened?

Yusuf Yerkel, the then assistant secretary of the then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, caused huge public outrage after he kicked a miner during the protests following an occupational homicide that claimed the lives of 301 miners in Manisa's Soma district in 2014.

An online petition has also been launched by the Turkey branch of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25) against the appointment of Yusuf Yerkel as a commercial attache to Frankfurt.

The DiEM25 Turkey has recalled: "Yusuf Yerkel, the perpetrator of the scandal, which took its place in the social memory by kicking the protester who lost a loved one in Soma, where 301 miners died in 2014, was recently appointed as the 'Commercial Attache' to Frankfurt."

Accordingly, the organization has "called on the Turkish, German and European public not to be spectators" as "otherwise, it will not only deteriorate the never-healing wounds of those who lost their loved ones in the massacre but it will further damage our sense of right and justice; will further reduce the capacity of peoples to participate in politics."

The petition has been addressed to the Chancellery and Foreign Ministry of Germany to the Presidency and Foreign Ministry of Turkey.

On February 16, a group of rights advocates also met across the Consulate General of Turkey in Frankfurt and protested the appointment of Yusuf Yerkel as a commercial attache to the city. (HA/SD)