Twitter, mwitter, we will eradicate it all: Turkey PM
In a tweet, Turkey's president yesterday hit out at the government ban of Twitter, as opposition leaders vowed to mount a legal challenge to the measure that came just days ahead of crucial polls.
The popular micro-blogging site, one of several that has been used to publish allegations of corruption in Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's inner circle, went dark in Turkey late Thursday, just hours after the embattled leader threatened to "wipe out" the social network.
The move sparked outrage from the opposition and the European Union -- which Ankara has long sought to join -- as well as Erdogan's own administration.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul, a frequent user of social media, led the chorus of calls against the move. "A complete ban on social media platforms cannot be approved," he said, adding that it is not "technically possible to totally block access to platforms used all over the world".
Erdogan first vowed to shut Twitter down at a campaign rally on Thursday in the city of Bursa.
"Now there is a court order. Twitter, mwitter, we will eradicate it all," Erdogan said, using a Turkish expression that mocked the name of the social networking site.
"The international community will say this and that, and it doesn't concern me one bit," Erdogan added, apparently anticipating the subsequent uproar.
"They will see the power of the Turkish Republic. This has nothing to do with freedom-shmeedom. Freedom is not invading someone's privacy."
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