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Turkish Uproar: Steve Bannon's "Free Constantinople" T-shirt Sparks Controversy
GCT ^ | 28 December 2024 | GCT Team

Posted on 01/03/2025 7:42:12 AM PST by george76

A recent photograph of Steve Bannon, former advisor to Donald Trump, has ignited a media frenzy in Turkey. The image, widely circulated on social media, features Bannon wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the phrase "Free Constantinople," a message that has been perceived by many in Turkey as provocative.

The controversy began when Rahim Kassam, a British political commentator, shared the photo on X (formerly known as Twitter). Kassam captioned the image, "Steve Bannon opened his favorite Christmas present," implying the t-shirt was a gift.

Unsurprisingly, the Turkish media reacted strongly, labeling the image a "provocation" and engaging in extensive commentary. Several outlets speculated about external influences, with some hinting at a potential "Greek hand" orchestrating the situation.

The post also garnered significant attention from Turkish users on X, many of whom expressed their outrage. In response, Kassam reacted with sarcasm, posting on December 27th, "All these Turks whining and offended by the post are exactly what Steve Bannon would want for Christmas."


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: armenians; assyrians; bannon; christians; christmas; constantinople; freeconstantinople; greeks; mediafrenzy; stevebannon; turkey; turks
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1 posted on 01/03/2025 7:42:12 AM PST by george76
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To: george76

Should Mr. Bannon be given the title, “Troll King,” for this? ROFLMAO!


2 posted on 01/03/2025 7:44:00 AM PST by Tom Tetroxide (Psalm 146:3 "Do not trust in princes, in the son of man, who has no salvation.")
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To: george76

Nuke Turkey! Eff ‘em.


3 posted on 01/03/2025 7:45:53 AM PST by Sirius Lee ("Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.")
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To: george76
From the river to the sea, Israel shall be free. LOL

Muslims and leftists, pardon the repetition, don't like it when people use their slogans against them.

4 posted on 01/03/2025 7:47:51 AM PST by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: george76
Courting Turkey into NATO, another State Department gem.

Germany has yet to fully realize their similar stupidity. Ironic to call it a "welfare" state.

5 posted on 01/03/2025 7:50:06 AM PST by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: Carry_Okie
Courting Turkey into NATO, another State Department gem.

When Turkey was kept under the watchful eye of its secular, Kemalist military it was good ally. Post Cold War we pushed "democracy" and allowed Turkey to fall to an electoral dictatorship under the Islamist demagogue Erdogan, just like we let Venezuela fall to Chavez.

6 posted on 01/03/2025 8:00:36 AM PST by pierrem15 ("Massacrez-les, car le seigneur connait les siens" )
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To: george76

Turkish leaders seem a might thin skinned.


7 posted on 01/03/2025 8:01:59 AM PST by VTenigma (Conspiracy theory is the new "spoiler alert")
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To: george76

Thin skinned losers. Would anybody in the US give a crap if some random Brit had a t-shirt with the US that said “UKA”.

Actually that would sell well. Note to self.


8 posted on 01/03/2025 8:02:42 AM PST by HYPOCRACY (Democracy is dead. Long live the Republic!)
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To: george76

“Free Constantinople,”

ROFLOL. Turkey all in with “Free Palestine” doesn’t seem to agree with “Free Constantinople”. What a troll move, and demonstration of Turkish government hypocrisy.


9 posted on 01/03/2025 8:05:13 AM PST by Pete Dovgan
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To: george76

Turkey, a typical Islamic despotic country where they butchered or enslaved the Christians in Constantinople after systematically doing the same to the rest of Byzantium - maybe around 200-300k total from this several hundred year rampage. And then there is the 1915-1923 period where they murdered 1.5 million Christian Armenians. And they support the wholesale murder of Christians and Jews everywhere. Like I would care that they are offended - no different than someone saying Charles Manson was offended by something.


10 posted on 01/03/2025 8:05:24 AM PST by rigelkentaurus
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To: pierrem15
When Turkey was kept under the watchful eye of its secular, Kemalist military it was good ally.

Ataturk was an aberration in Turkish history arising out of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. People who pray five times a day tend to discount such as "Satanic" European digressions.

11 posted on 01/03/2025 8:06:13 AM PST by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: george76

No, you can’t go back to Constantinople....


12 posted on 01/03/2025 8:17:27 AM PST by Tuxedo (Yuge 2024!)
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To: george76

There is no right of free speech in Turkey. Making politically unpopular statements can land you in a Turkish prison, which are particularly unpleasant (I have been there.) Americans in foreign countries have serious problems when they believe and behave as though the Bill of Rights protects them wherever they go. It doesn’t.


13 posted on 01/03/2025 8:19:37 AM PST by Spok
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To: Tom Tetroxide; george76

“Should Mr. Bannon be given the title, “Troll King,” for this? ROFLMAO!”
_______________________________________________

Exactly!


14 posted on 01/03/2025 8:25:28 AM PST by oldplayer
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To: pierrem15

yep


15 posted on 01/03/2025 8:57:34 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustmilents offered here free of charge)
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To: george76

Free Constantinople!


16 posted on 01/03/2025 8:57:42 AM PST by wildcard_redneck
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To: pierrem15

Yes, in the end, we helped create the current problem with Turkey and Islamists.


17 posted on 01/03/2025 9:30:42 AM PST by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: george76
Free Constantinople

From the liver to the knee

18 posted on 01/03/2025 9:32:47 AM PST by Ahithophel (Communication is an art form susceptible to sudden technical failure)
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To: rigelkentaurus

Don’t forget the hundreds of thousands of Greeks and Assyrians.


19 posted on 01/03/2025 9:34:29 AM PST by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: rigelkentaurus

Islamic Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1923, at least 3.5 million Christian Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians ... unable to defend themselves, were rounded up by moslems, then raped and executed.

Omar’s moslem people did something.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3657286/posts


20 posted on 01/03/2025 9:38:46 AM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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