İstanbul Municipality removes mural after criticism from government officials

The mural was removed hours after it was shared on Twitter. The municipality or the museum administration have not yet made a statement about the issue.

İstanbul

Photo: İstanbul Gündem/Twitter

The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) has removed a mural in Kadıköy's Gazhane Museum after criticism by government officials.

Photos of the mural were first shared by a Twitter account named "İstanbul Gündem," which said "a weird mural caused some raised eyebrows."

Shortly after the post, İsmail Cesur, an advisor to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, quoted the tweet and asked the municipality, "Who allowed this work for what reason?"

The mural was removed on the same day, as understood from a tweet by MP Rümeysa Kadak of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Sharing a photo showing the mural was removed, she wrote, "This disgraceful drawing that was exhibited in an area open to the public and where children also enter has been in the Gazhane Museum until today. We just checked it and they removed it 'because of the reactions.' I wish the same for their dirty mentality."

After the removal of the mural (Photo: Rümeysa Kadak/Twitter)

The municipality or the museum administration have not yet made a statement about why the mural was removed. (VK)