Anger mounting as Erdogan-backed rector takes office at top Turkish university

Bogazici staff and student protesters claim appointment of Melih Bulu violates academic freedom

Police in riot gear clash with students of Bogazici University, in Istanbul. AP Photo

Students chant slogans and hold placards in front of the Bogazici University. AFP

Students protest against the appointment of the new rector to Bogazici University. AFP

Turkish riot police block the main gate of Bogazici University. Reuters

Turkish riot police clash with students of Bogazici University. Reuters

Students of Bogazici University hold a sign with the message 'Not My Rector'. Reuters

Turkish riot police block the main gate. Reuters

A student confronts a police officer firing rubber bullets during the clashes. AP Photo

Police use a water canon to disperse students. AP Photo

Police in riot gear clash with students of Bogazici University. AP Photo

Fears over the freedom afforded to Turkey’s academics grew on Tuesday after Istanbul police detained at least 17 people who took part in a protest.

Students led the demonstration protesting against the controversial state appointment of an academic as rector of one of the country’s top universities.

The uproar followed the January 1 announcement of Melih Bulu, who in 2015 ran for local office for President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, as rector at Bogazici University. Public anger was inflamed by allegations that Mr Bulu plagiarised parts of his doctoral thesis, which he denies.

One former Turkish MP warned it could exacerbate Turkey’s brain drain, as intellectuals flee the country and the government’s hostile environment towards dissent in the wake of a failed coup in 2016.

Hundreds vented their anger on Monday outside the university, while faculty members said the decision “clearly violates academic freedom”.

On Tuesday, some members turned their backs on the rector's building during his swearing in. Several hundred police officers and water cannons were sent to the area.

The protesters, some of whom clashed with police, chanted slogans such as "Melih Bulu is not our rector" and "We don't want a state-appointed rector".

The development at Bogazici, which was founded in 1863 as the US institution Robert College, has thrown into jeopardy the university’s reputation for freedom of speech.

Along with Ankara’s Middle East Technical University, Bogazici “has been the gold standard of meritocracy in Turkey,” said Aykan Erdemir, a former member of the Turkish parliament and senior director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

"These two public universities, where the medium of instruction is English, have consistently recruited Turkey's top percentile of students and provided them with world-class education virtually free of charge," Mr Erdemir told The National.

“Their graduates, many of whom come from humble backgrounds, have moved on to become leading academics and professionals not only in Turkey but also around the world.

“These two institutions have also functioned as a gateway to introduce Western political, social and cultural ideas to Turkey, serving as bastions of secular democratic values and fundamental rights and freedom,” he said.

Faculty members said the appointment of Mr Bulu is “yet another case of many ongoing anti-democratic practices since 2016,” in reference to the government’s crackdown on dissent since the failed coup.

In recent years, thousands of academics have been dismissed by the Mr Erdogan’s government, which has been accused of stifling freedom of speech.

“Erdogan’s designation of an unqualified political appointee from outside the university as the next university president stems from his long-held ambition to conquer what he sees as an alien and hostile institution,” said Mr Erdemir, who was a member of parliament from 2011 to 2015.

He said the plagiarism accusations only added insult to injury. “The sentiment is that Erdogan’s political meddling in Turkey’s elite academic institutions is no less a power grab than the usurping of mayoral offices from the opposition,” Mr Erdemir said.

“Turkey’s youth will perceive the scandalous appointment of an Erdogan crony as the president of the Bogazici University as the final nail in the coffin of meritocracy in the country, where nepotism and political favouritism have become the rule in academia and the business world.

“This will inevitably exacerbate Turkey’s brain drain, as the country’s best and brightest will continue to seek refuge in the West, with the hopes of enjoying academic freedoms and meritocracy,” he said.