Bekir Atacan, a Turkish analyst and frequent pro-Ankara commentator on Arab-language channels, was cut off by a BBC News Arabic host on Wednesday after making inflammatory remarks advocating for the killing of Syrian Kurdish militants in northeast Syria.
Leading the İstanbul Academy for Thought and Strategic Studies and known for his strong pro-government stance, Atacan sparked controversy during a heated discussion about Turkey’s policies in Syria.
Shocking hate speech on BBC Arabic! Bakir Atajan, director of the Istanbul Institute of Studies, calls for the killing of Kurds in Syria, saying they should be 'SPIT ON and BURIED UNDER THE SOIL.'
The BBC host shuts him down live, condemning his genocidal rhetoric. Full video… pic.twitter.com/w6DSiIZAkr
— Karim Franceschi (@karimfranceschi) December 26, 2024
Atacan defended Turkey’s military actions against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose leading faction, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), Ankara deems a terrorist group linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
While debating with Amjad Osman, a Kurdish political analyst based in Erbil, Atacan declared that “terrorists” must be “eliminated” and justified Turkey’s threats to force the YPG to lay down their arms or face death. His comments prompted the BBC host to interject, labeling his statements as unethical and inappropriate for broadcast.
The incident occurred amid heightened tensions in Syria following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month. Turkey has intensified its rhetoric and military actions against Kurdish factions in northern Syria, insisting they lay down arms or face elimination. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has framed the YPG as an existential threat, describing the group as a “wall of blood” separating Turkey and the region’s Kurdish population.
Turkey’s actions in Syria have drawn criticism from human rights organizations and some Western allies, including the United States, which backs the SDF in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). However, Ankara maintains that the YPG’s presence poses a direct threat to its national security and demands a complete cessation of Western support for the group.