AK Party youths wear shrouds to show support for Erdoğan

Following ceremonies in the Black Sea provinces of Ordu and Giresun over the weekend, Erdoğan arrived via helicopter at Trabzon Airport, where he was welcomed by a group of supporters.

The group was wearing shrouds and holding a banner that read “We came here with our shrouds, we're with you to the death” and shouting slogans in support of Erdoğan, whose government is in trouble due to some of its ministers' alleged involvement in corruption.

Erdoğan threw down the gauntlet to his rivals, including those he called “spies” and “traitors,” warning them against using allegations of high-level corruption to undermine his rule and threatening to “break their hands.”

Last Tuesday dozens of people, including the sons of three ministers, prominent businesspeople and bureaucrats, were detained in the corruption operation. Some of the suspects, including the sons of two ministers, were arrested over the weekend while others were released pending trial.

After giving a short speech to the group gathered at Trabzon Airport, Erdoğan left for a two-day official visit to Pakistan.

Past examples of glorification of Erdoğan widespread

Similar signs of support took place during the Gezi Park protests. A large crowd of AK Party supporters welcomed Erdoğan at the airport at the height of the Gezi demonstrations upon his return from North Africa in June, chanting “Tell us to die for you, we will die; tell us to hit, we will hit.”

In a statement prior to an AK Party rally at Kazlıçeşme Square as a counter move to the Gezi protests, a youth branch of the party issued a statement on June 17 saying, “It is a religious obligation to go to Kazlıçeşme Square.”

On Sunday, a Turkish woman wrote on her Twitter account that “Tayyip Erdoğan is the shadow of God on earth,” which led to ridicule and negative reactions from fellow users.

In February, current AK Party Deputy Chairman Süleyman Soylu, who joined the party after dissolving his own party, said, “I swear to God that Erdoğan is the eternal leader of Turkey.”

On July 21, 2011 an AK Party deputy from Bursa said, “Believe me, even touching our dear prime minister is a sacred prayer.” In a similar remark, EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bağış announced in February that the cities of Rize, Siirt and İstanbul are “sacred.” Rize is Erdoğan's hometown; İstanbul is the city where Erdoğan started his political career; and Siirt is where his wife was born and where Erdoğan was first elected deputy.