Schmähkritik

I remember when Recep Tayyip Erdogan was first elected, a Greek friend warned me that it was a black day. And so it has turned out. In ways that are very reminiscent of Vladimir Putin, Erdogan has changed the Turkish consitution several times to ensure his own survival at the top. An anti-democrat who will not tolerate criticism of any kind from anyone.

He's not alone of course, even in Europe. Hungary's Viktor Orbán is no better. But what's shocking today is that German comic Jan Böhmermann is now to be prosecuted under German law for criticising Erdogan on German TV. See the BBC report for the full story.

Böhmermann was being deliberately provocative of course and I do not condone in any way anonymous, unthinking trolling of people, which is all too common on the internet today. The fact that Erdogan wants to silence Böhmermann is not surprising. But a German comic being prosecuted for being rude about a leader? Come on Germany, you're better than that, surely.

As it happens, I wouldn't say things like that about anyone, even public figures who from my point of view are beneath contempt (Nigel Farage, for instance). But Jan Böhmermann has every right to be rude about whoever he likes. So do you. So do I.

So to add yet more proof to the veracity of the Streisand effect, here's what Jan Böhmermann said, in full. Thanks to Ton Zijlstra for helping find it.

Addition 2016-04-29: More proof of the Streisand effect, here's a fantastic new application - Insult Erdogan as a Service (broken link removed).

Sackdoof, feige und verklemmt,
ist Erdogan der Präsident.

Sein Gelöt stinkt schlimm nach Döner,
selbst ein Schweinepfurz riecht schöner.

Er ist der Mann der Mädchen schlägt,
und dabei Gummimasken trägt.

Am liebsten mag er Ziegen ficken,
und Minderheiten unterdrücken,

Kurden treten, Christen hauen,
und dabei Kinderpornos schauen.

Und selbst Abends heißt statt schlafen,
Fellatio mit hundert Schafen.

Ja, Erdogan ist voll und ganz,
ein Präsident mit kleinem Schwanz.

Jeden Türken hört man flöten,
die dumme Sau hat Schrumpelklöten,

Von Ankara bis Istanbul,
weiß jeder, dieser Mann ist schwul,

Pervers, verlaust und zoophil
Recep Fritzl Priklopil.

Sein Kopf so leer, wie seine Eier,
der Star auf jeder Gangbang-Feier.

Bis der Schwanz beim pinkeln brennt,
das ist Recep Erdogan, der türkische Präsident.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, reportedly called the poem a "serious crime against humanity". Really? You don't need to write insults about these people, they do it all by themselves …

More, of course, on Wikipedia.