[Rumor]

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Turkish court bans YouTube access

Turkish court bans YouTube access

YouTube attracts a monthly audience of 70 million people
Access to the popular video-sharing website YouTube has been suspended in Turkey following a court order.
The ban was imposed after prosecutors told the court that clips insulting former Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk had appeared on the site.

According to Turkish media, there has been a "virtual war" between Greek and Turkish users of the site, with both sides posting insulting videos.

The clip prompting the ban reportedly dubbed Ataturk and Turks homosexuals.

Insulting Ataturk, the founding father of modern Turkey, or "Turkishness" is an offence which can result in a prison sentence.

The offending videos sparked a storm of complaints to YouTube and the clips were removed, but the court order goes further, blocking all access to the site.

Freedom of speech

Turkish visitors to the site are now greeted with a message in English and Turkish reading "Access to YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/384 dated 06.03.2007 of Istanbul First Criminal Peace Court".

Paul Doany, the head of Turk Telecom, the country's largest telecoms company, said that they had blocked access to the site as soon as the court order came through.

"We are not in the position of saying that what YouTube did was an insult, that it was right or wrong," Mr Doany told Anatolia news agency. "A court decision was proposed to us, and we are doing what that court decision says."

Mr Doany said that for its part Turk Telecom will continue to enforce the ban as long as the order stands.

The European Union, which Turkey is hoping to join, has long called for an easing of Article 301 - the law which prevents insults to Turkish culture - arguing that the law places severe restrictions on free speech in Turkey.

About 50 writers in the country have been put on trial for allegedly contravening the rule, including Nobel prizewinner Orhan Pamuk, though most cases have eventually been dismissed by the judge.

Kind of stupid in my opinion. Why not petition youtube to remove the videos instead of banning the whole site?

[Jawbone54]

I love America.

[ink]

Be careful, MacNN is in danger of being banned in Turkey if this thread goes the wrong way.

[Jawbone54]

I hate Turkey.

*sits and waits*

[Rumor]

I love Turkey. Especially with a good gravy and some mashed taters.

[voodoo]

Mexico has more things in common with the US, yet Mexico isn't applying to become the 51st state. Turkey, with its backwater fascistic government, religious zealotry and fanatic nationalism somehow thinks it should be part of the EU.

**** 'em

V

[Atomic Rooster]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Mexico has more things in common with the US, yet Mexico isn't applying to become the 51st state. Turkey, with its backwater fascistic government, religious zealotry and fanatic nationalism somehow thinks it should be part of the EU.

**** 'em

V

Never! Won't happen.

[red rocket]

Originally Posted by Rumor

Kind of stupid in my opinion. Why not petition youtube to remove the videos instead of banning the whole site?

They did that as well.

EarthTimes reports that Turkish newspapers had called for citizens to mass-email YouTube to take down the offending videos, and apparently more than 200,000 messages were sent to that effect. YouTube has since taken the concerned videos offline. It should be noted, though, that YouTube allows viewers to flag videos as inappropriate for various reasons, which include hate speech.

Originally Posted by voodoo

Turkey, with its backwater fascistic government, religious zealotry and fanatic nationalism somehow thinks it should be part of the EU.

Erm, Turkey is reasonably secular, that's why most of the religious nutjobs in Turkey move out of the country, and all the women in Turkey are blonde and dress like whores.

In images broadcast over the Internet site YouTube, Greek commandos are shown singing a march with lyrics that include lines such as “We will break off the Turks’ heads and plant a cross in Hagia Sophia.”

The images on YouTube were shot of a Greek commando unit doing a 50-kilometer march that takes place every six months. The Greek soldiers captured in these images are singing the inflammatory marches in unison, with one particularly noticeable lyric as follows: “There was a ship, a tank-carrying ship. It left from Volos to plant fear. It goes to the shores of Little Asia (Turkey). To spread fire and ashes all over Turkey. It was full of sea marines. They blew the heads of any Turks they could find into the air. The heroes died opening the road to Hagia Sophia. I will march to Hagia Sophia, take off the Turkish caliphate sign and plant a cross there. Only then will God shed light on İstanbul and the Greek national march will ring from every corner.”

source

Looks like the Greeks weren't exactly diplomatic, either. Stupid religious fuckers, one crazier than the other.

That said, screw Ataturk, and his crazy nationalism.

[centerchannel68]

I hate religion.

[voodoo]

@red rocket+cash

This isn't even a religious thing. Even though there is enough religious fanaticism in Turkey, the fascism, lies and refusal to face the truth is far more descriptive of that nation.

Denial of Armenian genocide, invasion and occupation of Cyprus, Kurdish genocide, corruption, inhuman treatment of political oppponents, leaky borders to Iran, Syria etc etc.

That's the real issue. Oh and that we have 0% in common with Turkey. Our only common history is them attacking, invading and occupying countries in Europe.

V

[MrNo]

Turkey should never be allowed to become a member of EU.
They should stay where they belong.