The Koç Family showed off with their 100th anniversary and then...

Koç Holding just marked its 100th anniversary with highly visible, Republican‑symbolic events in Ankara, including a mass Anıtkabir visit with about 6,000 employees and dealers, where Ömer Koç signed the Anıtkabir special book in the name of the group:

The group also organized large‑scale public celebrations in Ankara (e.g., Tarkan concert in Millet Bahçesi) that underlined its “Republican” and “Atatürkist” corporate identity.

Then came Rahmi Koç’s racist and sexist joke. It is an ugly one, but the online and offline reactions look disproportionate. I believe the group’s challenging show-off may be a reason for that…

Here is the detailed context:

What actually happened

At the opening of an American Hospital in İzmir, Rahmi Koç told a joke involving a doctor and a “Kurdish woman” patient, in which the punchline is a sexually suggestive misunderstanding about undressing for a medical exam. The scene was captured on video and shared widely on social media, where former Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım is also seen laughing at the joke. Critics argue that the joke objectifies women and uses “Kurdish woman” as a stereotype, combining sexism with ethnic stigma.^[1]^[3]^[2]^[4]

Legal and political fallout

The İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an ex officio investigation on the charge of “publicly degrading a segment of society,” based on the remarks made at the ceremony. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek stated that expressions targeting women and a specific ethnic identity are unacceptable and that “being a joke” does not reduce their seriousness. The pro‑Kurdish DEM Party and Kurdish civil society actors filed criminal complaints, citing incitement to hatred, insult, and hate/discrimination.^[1]^[2]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Public reactions and polarization

On social media, the hashtag #RahmiKoçÖzürDile (“Apologize Rahmi Koç”) quickly trended, with many users calling the remarks misogynistic and racist. DEM Party figures described the words as humiliating Kurdish women and framed them as an example of entrenched racism and sexism. Some groups, including MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, defended Koç, arguing that it was a harmless “latife” (banter) in a friendly setting and that launching an investigation was excessive.^[3]^[5]

Koç’s apology

Following the backlash and the opening of the investigation, Rahmi Koç issued a written apology via Koç Holding and in subsequent media statements. He said he did not intend to target any identity or specific group, and expressed “deep regret” for his words. Despite the apology, criticism has continued, especially from Kurdish and feminist circles, which see the incident as symptomatic of broader structural discrimination.^[1]^[3]^[2]^[7]^[5]

Why it matters symbolically

Rahmi Koç is the 95‑year‑old honorary chair of Turkey’s largest conglomerate, so his words are read as emblematic of elite attitudes toward Kurds and women rather than a private faux pas. The controversy intersects debates over hate speech, “espri kültürü” (joke culture), and the boundaries of acceptable public speech in a polarized context where Kurdish identity and women’s rights are already highly politicized.^[8]^[2]^[7]^[5]^[6] But as I stated above, the strong reactions may be partially related to their Atatürkist standing…

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