Galatasaray supports its football player in the face of homophobia

* Photo: Instagram / Taylan Antalyalı

Click to read the article in Turkish

Galatasaray Sports Club has made a statement about its football player Taylan Antalyalı, who has recently been subjected to homophobic attacks on TV and social media because he posted a photo of himself wearing a shirt with the slogan "Powered by pride" in rainbow colors.

In its statement about the issue, the executive board of the club has expressed its support for Antalyalı, saying that it is proud of him.

The club has also filed a criminal complaint against two football commentators who targeted Taylan Antalyalı on a live TV program.

'We are with our player'

Galatasaray Executive Board Spokesperson M. Remzi Sanver held a press conference and announced that they are with their player without any hesitation, adding that they are ready to provide him with any support if he wants, including the judicial proceedings.

Sanver said, "Galatasaray derives its values from the Galatasaray School, which has a tradition of enlightenment. Among these values are freedom of expression and that no one is discriminated against because of their identity. Among these values is the awareness that one does not have to hold the related identity to be with the ones discriminated against."

The Spokesperson expressed the club's "most vehement condemnation" for the remarks "going far beyond democratic limits of criticism over the message Taylan Antalyalı made on social media."

Our dear brother Taylan; we - as the Executive Board of Galatasaray - are proud that you are a member of our club, we embrace you as the child of the great Galatasaray family and greet you with love.

Homophobic attack denounced on social media

Taylan Antalyalı, the 26-year-old center-back of Galatasaray, deleted his social media post following the comments made under the photo that he had shared with this picture on Instagram in the Pride Week.

Several social media users expressed their support for Antalyalı and he became a trending topic on Twitter Turkey.

Turgay Demir and Emre Bol, two football commentators on TV 100, supported the homophobic comments during a live program, saying that Taylan Antalyalı should not play in the national team again. These comments also caused a public outrage, especially on social media. Several people denounced the homophobic statements of Demir and Bol. 

Bişar Özbey, another commentator on the same program, said that it was none of anyone's business that Antalyalı wore that shirt:

If we are to repress people's opinions to the point of a shirt, we can talk about neither freedom of expression nor anything else.

Criminal complaint by Galatasaray

Amid reactions against the homophobic remarks of Bol and Demir, Galatasaray Sports Club has reportedly filed a criminal complaint against the commentators. As reported by Erhan Adıgüzel from Habertürk, the attorneys of the club have applied to the prosecutor's office and filed a complaint against the two on charge of "provoking the public to enmity and hatred."

LGBTI+s, rainbow colors and Turkey

Most recently, the LGBTI+ community as well as journalists, lawyers and rights defenders were met with heavy police violence during the 19th İstanbul Pride March, which was to be held in Taksim, but banned by the Sub-Governor's Office of Beyoğlu earlier on June 26, 2021.

While the detention of Agence France-Presse (AFP) photojournalist Bülent Kılıç with his neck being pressed by police has caused a public outcry, especially among journalists, who then protested it in three major cities of Turkey, saying, "We cannot breathe", Amnesty International has documented that "police detained at least 47 people, including two minors, one lawyer and a trainee lawyer and the journalist Bülent Kılıç" during the intervention against the Pride March in İstanbul on June 26.

A few fays before the 19th İstanbul Pride March, the İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week Committee organized a picnic in the Maçka Democracy Park; however, the police first did not allow people to enter the park in rainbow colors, including with masks in rainbow colors, then, they intervened against the group inside the park, taking one person into custody.

Earlier this year, a group of students were also briefly taken into custody in front of the North Campus of Boğaziçi University on the grounds that they were holding rainbow flags representing the LGBTI+ community. At the most recent hearing of the court case filed against the 12 students, the international travel bans imposed on them have been lifted.

CLICK - Turkey's Islamist, ultra-nationalist coalition government and panic over LGBTQ symbols

(EMK/SD)