If you cannot have it for real, let it rot. A strange but not surprising rector appointment for Boğaziçi University

It is sad to watch the news. I graduated from Boğaziçi University (Sociology BA and MA). The university had a tradition of electing its presidents. Erdoğan killed that before by appointing a professor who was not even in the election instead of a person who got more than 80% of the votes. This time Erdoğan appointed someone who is not even a professor at Boğaziçi University. He spent most of his life as a politician in the AKP party establishment, once tried to be an MEP but could not succeed. Now he is rewarded.  Today it was reported that he was actually an early digital pioneer of so-called Aktrolls.

From 2008: Coverage of now-Boğaziçi Rector Melih Bulu running a group called the "Virtual Raiders" devoted to organising pro-AKP messaging on social media https://t.co/V8lhvunPLu

— Ankaralı Jan (@06JAnk) January 4, 2021

And would you be surprised if there were plagiarism claims?

Update: Rector Bulu has denied allegations of plagiarism, but I'll let you make up your own minds. Here's a definition from one of his own university departments. https://t.co/oUNMO0KMrr pic.twitter.com/0xYQ8ZY7x4

— Ankaralı Jan (@06JAnk) January 3, 2021

Update 2: Someone decided to do the deep-dive on Rector Bulu's Master's thesis (the coloured parts are copy-paste): https://t.co/8tj7901GyW

— Ankaralı Jan (@06JAnk) January 4, 2021

Today some students protested and the police showed their usual brutality:

#Turkey sadly never changes. Riot police use violence and tear gas against students of the top university #Boğazici furious at government interference after Erdogan appoints a rector @melihbulu who was AKP candidate (& seems to have plagiarised his thesis) https://t.co/RC6QJCLhMT

— Mark Lowen (@marklowen) January 4, 2021

Students hold huge demonstration in front of Boğaziçi University calling for the resignation of government-appointed rector Melih Bulu. https://t.co/k2pfqgW1L6

— Paul Benjamin Osterlund (@Paul_Osterlund) January 4, 2021

Boğaziçi’nin kapısına vurulan kelepçe içinden geçtiğimiz dönemin sembollerinden biri olarak tarihte yerini aldı https://t.co/v6FagHXyzW

— nevsin mengu (@nevsinmengu) January 4, 2021

Birgün has good coverage of today’s protest.

PROTESTS AGAINST UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT: Police attack students with pepper gas at Boğaziçi University