Clashes in Istanbul over blasphemous cartoon
The incident occurred after Istanbul's chief prosecutor ordered the arrest of the editors at LeMan magazine on grounds it had published a cartoon which 'publicly insulted religious values.'
'The chief public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the publication of a cartoon in the June 26, 2025 issue of LeMan magazine that publicly insults religious values, and arrest warrants have been issued for those involved,' the prosecutor's office said.
As the news broke, several dozen angry protesters attacked a bar often frequented by LeMan staffers in downtown Istanbul, provoking angry scuffles with police, an AFP correspondent said.
The scuffles quickly degenerated into clashes involving between 250 to 300 people, the correspondent said.
In several posts on X, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said police had arrested the cartoonist responsible for 'this vile drawing', the magazine's graphic designer and two other staffers.
Police had also taken over the magazine's offices on Istiklal Avenue and arrest warrants had been issued for several other of the magazine's executives, presidential press aide Fahrettin Altin wrote on X.
In a string of posts on X, LeMan defended the cartoon and said it had been deliberately misinterpreted to cause a provocation.
'The cartoonist wanted to portray the righteousness of the oppressed Muslim people by depicting a Muslim killed by Israel, he never intended to belittle religious values,' it said.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation had been opened on grounds of 'publicly insulting religious values.'
'Disrespect toward our beliefs is never acceptable,' he wrote on X.
Istanbul governor Davut Gul also lashed out at 'this mentality that seeks to provoke society by attacking our sacred values.
'We will not remain silent in the face of any vile act targeting our nation's faith,' he warned.
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