YouTube censors Erdoğan adviser's video over hate speech

YouTube has taken down a video of a speech by President Erdoğan's communication adviser Fahrettin Altun, saying it violated the site's ban on hate speech. Altun held the speech earlier this year in memory of Turkish diplomats killed by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) in the 1970s and 1980s. Altun slammed the platform over its move, accusing it of implementing “double standards and hypocrisy.”

Friday July 02 2021 11:16 am

Duvar English

YouTube has removed a video from its platform that shows Turkish Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun giving a speech during an exhibition in memory of Turkish diplomats killed by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) in the 1970s and 1980s.

YouTube said that the decision was taken as the speech had violated its “hate speech” policy.

Altun slammed the platform over its move and shared the speech which was banned on his Twitter account.

Accusing the platform of implementing “double standards and hypocrisy," Altun tweeted: "YouTube, which ignores hate speeches against Islam and Muslims and easily opens up space for the terrorist organizations’ smear campaign, considers what we said about the murderous terrorists who martyred our Turkish diplomats as a hate crime!"

Üzülerek belirtmek istiyorum ki, Şehit Diplomatlar Sergisinde yaptığım şu konuşma YouTube tarafından sansürlendi.
Sözüm ona bu konuşma, nefret söylemi içeriyormuş. Lütfen kulak verin ve siz karar verin.
Bu çifte standarttır, bu riyakarlıktır. pic.twitter.com/xLFLF3TChM
— Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) July 1, 2021

"Like it or not, we will keep saying on all occasions that terrorism has no language, religion or race," he said.

He further said that YouTube's move shows Turkey “needs indigenous and national platforms in the field of media and communication.”

On April 24, Altun delivered a speech at The Martyr Diplomats Exhibition, which was held simultaneously at Istanbul's Sirkeci Station and in Los Angeles.

It was dedicated to Turkish diplomats who lost their lives during Armenian militant organizations' assassination campaigns in the 1970s and 1980s.