Bulgarians and Turks in an on-line war

[Jaguar]

Bulgarians and Turks have different perceptions and points of view regarding history. Recently, the Internet has been converted into a kind of battlefield for these two nations, while in the same time there are circles, which encourage the escalation of the tension. Translator’s note: The clips in question could be seen in the author’s blog HER E

„We would like to know what the Turkish “civilizators” mean by the word “civilization” and what is the meaning they gave to the word “progress”? We are positive that in the whole of Turkey we would not be able to find a single Turk, capable of explaining the meaning of these two magical words.”, Lyuben Karavelov stated in the “Independence” gazette in 1873, commenting the plans of the Ottoman Empire to “civilize” Asia and Africa. The Ottoman Empire does not exist anymore; nowadays Turkey is a modern mundane state, which is striving to join the EU.


However, Turkish historical heritage and especially interrelations with Bulgaria is still a flammable subject. Looking back at the case with Martina Baleva’s work “Batak – the myth” and the hysteria, inspired by a project, which, according to professor Ivan Ilchev was “weak and showing ignorance”, we all remember how it had been swept up by half of the media, while the other half reacted to the fuzz accusing average Bulgarians in nationalism. While we were busy to accuse each other in jingoism or neglecting the issue, nobody paid attention to the reactions of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria, which were quite confusing. Following data is for those, who are not familiar with Batak’s history and the bloodsheds, organized by the Ottoman army at the time.

The population of Batak took part in the April Uprising of 1876. On the 22nd April the Batak people rebelled under the leadership of voivoda Petar Goranov. The 30th April saw the village surrounded by Ottoman army units of regular and irregulars’ troops (bashi-bozouk). Battles were carried over five days. The last stronghold of the rebels was the St. Nedelya Church. At the end of the conflict five thousand people were killed, including elderly people, women (raped by many before being killed), children and babies. Pregnant women were stabbed and ripped opened, their unborn babies taken out and killed. The village was reduced to ashes. News of the atrocities spread around the world. The public outcry created favourable conditions for Russia to declare war on Turkey. On 20th January 1878 the very few people of Batak, who had survived the uprising, enthusiastically met the advancing Russian army.

What happens nowadays? In the already closed down by DPS forum, the user Serbest Korkmaz state: „The truth for Batak is that more Muslims died there than Christians, slaughtered by the Christian rebellions. The historical truth should prevail; we have to make a new reading before moving on altogether.” Another member of the forum, Adem, posted: „It is not true that Turks had organized the bloodshed in Batak, those, who slaughtered the people were the Bulgarian landlords who killed both Bulgarian and Turkish population.” Translator’s note: People, who Adem calls “landlords”, were actually very few wealthy people, some of them in cooperation with the Ottoman authorities, some other joined the uprising. In both occasion none of them did what has been described above.

Similar statements, posted on-line, were supported by many of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria which is strange and puzzling because even the “Batak – the myth” project had not denied the truth of the events but had been rather focused on its change into a myth.

But while uncomely projects like the one quoted have been overexposed, creating artificial tension, in sites like YouTube.com contradictions between Bulgarians and Turks have literally burst into on-line battles. The different provocative clips, uploaded in YouTube caused passionate war of words between individuals of both nations.


The Turkish user airboy52 has uploaded few clips, glorifying the Ottoman Empire, where the siege of Pleven and the Shipka battles are presented as dark and tragic events, crucial for the Balkans, causing the forthcoming “misery and devastation”. The author of the clips states that all cultures and religions lived happily under the Ottoman Empire and the situation only changed after the Russian/Turkish war in 1878. In further comments airboy52 added that the janissary was “perfect war system” and that “people were happy to give their children for janissars, providing them with honorable positions within the system of the world’s biggest empire.” Translator’s note: In fact, the janissary system was one of the cruelest known in history – young Christian boys were taken by force from their families, converted into Islam and sent to Istanbul to be trained for the elite special forces of the sultan. It is true that they were empire’s elite guardians, occupying high positions and very influential, but it is also truth they often had been sent back to their homelands with orders to exterminate their own people.

Understandable, these opinions of the Turks cause mass waves of discontent among Bulgarians, Serbs and Romanians. The same effect will be achieved if starting to glorify SS and the Vehrmaht in front of Jews. The Bulgarian user tsarvulko explained that he is shocked by the clips. According to him, one thing is to love your country but another – to distort history, claiming that the Ottoman Empire brought peace and prosperity to the enslaved Christian nations. „No mutual friendship is possible until those Turks continue stating that the 5 centuries of misery they caused were actually something we have to be grateful for. To be somebody’s friend means to respect him in a first place. To glorify the Ottoman Empire for the battles that were fought for our freedom and independence is nothing but a violation of the Bulgarian dignity “, he also stated.

Turks, on their behalf, share completely different opinion. The user Semestersami thinks that Bulgarians have to be grateful to the Ottoman Empire for its 500 years of “protection”. Further on he boasted that he raped 143 Bulgarian women, as his people used to do the same for 500 years. „You must respect your father, otherwise he is going to kick your dirty ass “. Well, no translator’s comment here…

Another Turkish user, Baburmongol, proclaims that Turks should gather under the Islamic colours and to remove the “stupid Balkan borders” once and for all: „All of us have to be united under the flag of the prophet Mohammed. In the name of Allah, we will be back at the Balkans “. Onur 214 is quite patriotically tuned: „Don’t forget the fact that the world civilization is built by us. We used to be the leaders in world’s science and civilization. Some day we will return and lead the world again. Because we are TURKS! “

The user Yymanes, apparently sharing the same opinion, uploaded few clips that proclaim the glorious return of the Ottoman Empire. „The wrath is back, crusaders cry because the holy warriors rose for the holy Jihad,“ Yymanes posted. „Where are the flags and armies? Where are the Turks? The world needs them and the Turks are coming back! “ Bulgarian answer is also colourful. Pavel4441 recommends to the Turks to return back to Central Asia, where the goats are expecting them and claims: „I piss onto Mohammed!“

In the vortex of the passions and the common past it is quite difficult to keep the good tone. What is bad is that both in Turkey and Bulgaria there are politicians that are taking advantage of the situation, using people’s thoughts over the subject and increasing the tension. Recently, few Bulgarians demolished a basin-tap in the village of Tranak. The deed was recorded and uploaded in YouTube with inscriptions “Assassins”. The marble basin in question was made in a memory of 3 Turkish terrorists, who were involved in bomb assault in a train station of Bunovo in 1985, where several people died. The terrorists were prosecuted, found guilty and issued death sentences. Although it was obviously not reasonable to build such “memorial”, its demolition was a clear indicator of society’s moods.


It didn’t take long for the Turks to strike back. The Turkish on-line organization „Ayyildiz Тeam” cracked the web sites of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Directorate of national construction monitoring. The links of their pages were relocated to another IP address where it was written in Turkish and English: „As the state refused to react to the demolition of the Turkish memorial basin, two of your Ministerial sites were hacked. This is a protest against the political party Ataka and its leader Volen Siderov”. Same organization hacked the sites of the Ataka gazette later.