İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu: I stand with students, academics of Boğaziçi

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İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has shared a brief message on his social media account regarding the appointment of a new university president to the Boğaziçi University and the ensuing protests.

Appointed by President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on January 1, Prof. Melih Bulu, an academic outside Boğaziçi's community, was also a candidate for nomination to run in the Parliamentary elections for Erdoğan's AKP in 2015. This appointment has caused an outrage among both the students and academics.

In his tweet posted shortly after the police intervention against the students' protests in front of the South Campus in İstanbul yesterday (January 4), İmamoğlu has said that he is on the side of the students and academics of Boğaziçi University in their "righteous struggle":

"We will be a more powerful country when we get rid of partisanship from everywhere. The most beautiful brains of the country will not go abroad. Young people from all views will work together for our future then.

"I am on the side of the righteous struggle of the students and academics of Boğaziçi University."

Partizanlığı her yerden söküp attığımızda çok güçlü bir ülke olacağız. Ülkenin en güzel beyinleri yurtdışına gitmeyecek. Her görüşten gençler geleceğimiz için birlikte çalışacaklar o zaman. #BoğaziçiÜniversitesi öğrencileri ve akademisyenlerinin haklı mücadelesinin yanındayım.

— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) January 4, 2021

Police intervention against the protest

Upon the call of Boğaziçi Solidarity, an independent students' platform, students gathered in front of the South Campus of the university in İstanbul yesterday and protested the appointment of Bulu.

"The new trustee of Boğaziçi University has been appointed: Melih Bulu, who is a capital holder and an MP candidate for nomination from the AKP. Let's cut it short and say it straight away: Bulu is not our University President, we don't want a trustee University President," said the students. They also called on Prof. Melih Bulu to resign from office.

During the forum organized by the solidarity, the police intervened against the students. Spraying pepper gas on students, the police also fired plastic bullets towards where journalists were trying to cover the protest and intervention of the police. Some journalists were bashed around.

As the students did not stop waiting in the area, police officers attacked students with pepper gas again and battered some students.

Moreover, after intervening against the students, the police "handcuffed" the door of the university so that the students could not enter.

CLICK - Police attack students with pepper gas at Boğaziçi

What happened?

Prof. Melih Bulu has been appointed as the President of Boğaziçi University in a Presidential Decree issued on January 1. The appointment of Bulu has sparked harsh criticisms among both the students and academics of the university as well as in the academic community.

Appointed to Boğaziçi, one of the most prestigious universities in Turkey, from outside its community, Bulu was a candidate for nomination to run in the Parliamentary elections in 2015 for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which is chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The students and several students' clubs of the university have been campaigning on social media under the hashtag #kayyımrektöristemiyoruz (We don't want a trustee university president).

The call of the students has also been supported by the academics from the university, who released a joint statement on January 3.

"An academic outside Bogazici University community was appointed as rector (university president), which is a practice introduced for the first time after the 1980s military tutelage," read their statement.

Amid harsh criticisms of students and faculty members, Prof. Bulu has shared a message on his Twitter account, welcoming his appointment to the position, saying, "We are all in the same boat."

The students protested the appointment of Bulu in front of the South Campus of the university in İstanbul on January 4. However, the police intervened into the protest with pepper gas and plastic bullets.

About Melih Bulu

Prof. Melih Bulu was appointed as the President of Haliç University on January 17, 2020. In office in this foundation university for less than a year, he has been appointed as the President of Boğaziçi University.

He was a Dean and University President at the İstinye University from 2016 to 2019. Between the years of 2010 and 2016, he was the Head of the Business Management Department of İstanbul Şehir University's Business Management and Management Science Faculty.

He was the General Coordinator of International Competitiveness Research Institute (URAK), an NGO working on economic competitiveness of cities and countries, from the year 2017 to 2019. Since 2011, he has been the Executive Board member of the İstanbul Electric-Electronic Machinery and Informatics Exporters R&D Market.

In 2002, he founded the Sarıyer District Organization of the ruling AKP in İstanbul. In 2015, he was a candidate for nomination to run in the Parliamentary elections from the AKP in the first election district in İstanbul.

He studied Industrial Engineering at the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara in 1992. He did his MBA and PhD at Boğaziçi University's Department of Management. (EKN/SD)