Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s reported attempts to ban access to the website Twitter in the country Thursday backfired when social media users found ways around the ban and used the site to criticize the move on a mass scale.
Erdogan, who is currently on the campaign trail ahead of March 30th local elections and a presidential race in August, has throughout the year faced ongoing allegations of political corruption and a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters.
Twitter users have not been kind to Erdogan.
“Twitter, mwitter!” he said at a rally Thursday, before the site was blocked—what many are calling a “digital coup.” The phrase roughly translates as “Twitter, schmitter!”
“We will wipe out all of these,” Erdogan said. “The international community can say this, can say that. I don’t care at all. Everyone will see how powerful the Republic of Turkey is.”
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