A Jailed Comedian, a Mall Mob and the Enemies Erdoğan Needs

On October 18, a group of people surrounded Claudia Medina Halfon, a dual Israeli-Turkish citizen, while she shopped at the upscale Istinye Park mall in Istanbul. The crowd directed accusations such as “terrorist” and “child killer” at her until mall security intervened and escorted her from the premises. This incident appears premeditated. Halfon’s location was posted online, and an activist circulated a video calling people to the mall. Two days earlier, a group identifying itself as the “October 7 Movement” filed a criminal complaint, alleging that she used medical tourism as a pretext to host Israeli soldiers. She had previously been targeted by extremist Islamist groups. The crowd, waving Turkish and Palestinian flags, surrounded her in a manner that resembled a pursuit rather than a protest.

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