Greece’s air force deleted a social media post showing a fleet of C-130 cargo planes after it was widely interpreted as a reference to a recent Turkish military plane crash that killed 20 personnel.
The image was posted under the title “photo of the day” on Nov 13, two days after a Turkish military transport plane crashed in Georgia, killing all on board. The timing drew strong reactions from social media users in Turkey, including racist slurs.
A few hours later, the Hellenic Air Force removed the photo and shared an image of a condolence message that had been sent earlier by the Greek air force chief to his Turkish counterpart:
Συλλυπητήρια επιστολή του Έλληνα Α/ΓΕΑ προς τον Τούρκο ομόλογό του pic.twitter.com/yGLopxJXfx
— Hellenic Air Force (@HAFspokesperson) November 13, 2025
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik condemned the original post, calling it “an ugly message lacking military and humanitarian values.”
“It was the right move to remove the post and replace it with the message of condolences for our martyrs,” Çelik wrote on social media. “In times of earthquakes and disasters, we help each other and share the pain. That’s what should be done.”
He also called for accountability over the incident, stating, “We expect those who published that offensive message to be held responsible and properly sanctioned.” (VK)
