Stuffed animal action after earthquake
Fans loudly demand: “Government, resign!”
02/27/2023 11:16 am
The earthquake area in Turkey and Syria does not come to rest even weeks after the severe tremor. Football fans of the Istanbul clubs use the games to show support for those affected – and for harsh criticism of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government.
Fans of the Turkish first division soccer team Besiktas Istanbul threw stuffed animals onto the pitch in solidarity with the earthquake victims. The stuffed animals in the Besiktas Stadium flew onto the field in the 4:17th minute of the game – at that time the earth had trembled almost three weeks ago. Pictures show how players then clear the playing field of the stuffed animals. The names of the provinces affected by the quake were displayed on the scoreboard.
cuddly.
(Photo: AP)
In addition, the supporters criticized the Turkish state authority in the 0-0 league game against Antalyaspor: “Government, resign,” the spectators shouted, among other things. Fenerbahçe fans made similar statements to the government with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 4-0 win against Konyaspor on Saturday. Opponents of the Turkish government criticize the authorities’ response to the natural disaster, which claimed more than 44,000 lives on February 6, and which they believe to be inadequate and the authorities to have taken insufficient precautionary measures. 5,900 deaths were recently reported from Syria.
On February 6, two earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 shook southeast Turkey and northwest Syria. This was followed by more than 9,000 aftershocks, according to Turkish sources. According to the Turkish government, around 20 million people in the country are affected by the effects. The United Nations assumes that around 8.8 million people will be affected in Syria. Taken together, this roughly corresponds to the population of the metropolises of Istanbul, New York, Paris and Berlin.
In addition, the region still does not come to rest. A 5.2-magnitude tremor hit the central Anatolian province of Niğde in Turkey on Saturday, according to the Kandilli earthquake monitor. The epicenter was therefore in the district of Bor. Syrian authorities recorded a total of more than 60 aftershocks within 24 hours, as the country’s earthquake center announced on Saturday. The aftershock phase could last another two years, according to the Turkish civil protection authority Afad.
The earthquake disaster in the south of the country is also a reminder for the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul: Experts consider an earthquake there with a magnitude of up to 7.4 to be overdue. A rapid construction program is needed for more earthquake safety worth around 30 to 40 billion dollars, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on Saturday. “The amount is three times the annual budget of the city of Istanbul, but we have to be ready before it’s too late.”