‘Help Turkey’ campaign makes the state look incapable, says Communications Director

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Shortly after social media messages were shared under the hashtags #HelpTurkey and #GlobalCall amid raging forest fires across the country, especially in the south, Presidency's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has made a statement about the campaign and said, "The so-called aid campaign has been launched to make our state look incapable."

Amid criticisms about the insufficient firefighting efforts and aircraft and the refusal of incoming offers of help, some social media posts have been shared on Twitter under the hashtag #helpturkey.

Making a statement about the campaign that started yesterday (August 1) and received 2.5 million tweets, Altun has said, "Every good-intentioned aid and contribution is required by our national unison. However, this so-called aid campaign that was organized from abroad and from a single center as of this evening has been launched with ideological motives and aimed at making our state look incapable and undermining our state-nation unison."

Alleging that most of the information shared on social media platforms, instant messaging groups and forums is fake news, Altun said, "As our President said, we will compensate for all our losses, except for our losses of live, and we will put out this fire razing us inside."

Following Altun's statement, a counter-hashtag to the #HelpTurkey hashtag has been opened on social media: #WeDontNeedHelp. (AÖ/SD)