THIS is the shocking moment Turkey’s president was caught slapping a boy in the face for not kissing his hand.
Viewers were left in shock after the viral footage appeared to show President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slapping the young boy after he briefly hesitated when greeting the leader.
TwitterTurkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to slap a boy after he joined the Turkish leader on stage[/caption]
TwitterThe young boy hesitated to kiss the leader’s hand[/caption]
Erdogan was seen extending his hand to the two children so they could kiss it but one hesitated for just a moment while staring up at the president.
Erdogan quickly flicked his wrist and slapped the small boy across the face, before resuming his position and waiting for the boy to kiss his outstretched hand.
However, the boy didn’t seem to mind the gesture.
The boy then kissed Mr Erdogan’s hand, and the president handed both children some money as a gift.
The two kids then hugged the Turkish President.
The incident occurred on July 27 at the opening of the Aider Plateau Protection and Renewal Project, a province-wide urban transformation and disaster housing initiative.
The two boys had appeared on stage to greet the president after he delivered a short speech.
Although the gesture was not violent and many interpreted it as playful, the slap sparked a massive divide on X (formally Twitter), where the clip first went viral.
One person wrote: “I wonder how he treats people behind closed doors if he can do that in front of the camera”.
Another said: “That’s disgusting from Erdogan”.
However, others quickly came to the Turkish leader’s defence claiming it was a sign of respect to kiss the hands of an elder in Turkish culture.
One user said: “Love it. Kissing the hand of your elders, parents, and grandparents is a sign of respect especially in Turkey.
“If you don’t do it you get corrected. Especially at a young age”.
It’s not the first time Edogan has been caught on camera slapping a child.
Previously, the leader ‘slapped’ a child who requested an autograph on a Turkish national team T-shirt.
In 2021, at the opening of the Salarkha Tunnel in Rize, Erdogan was spotted knocking a boy on the head after he shook the ribbon.
In 2023, the president publicly slapped his grandson, but later claimed he was ‘stroking’ him, according to reports.
Meanwhile President Erdogan has waded into the Israeli – Palestine war, speaking about a dispute involing Libya and a region called Nagorno-Karabagh,he said: “Just as we entered Karabakh and Libya, we will do the same to Israel.
Erdogan has been a vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza, and said: “We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these things to Palestine.”
GettyA second boy also joined Erdogan on stage and kissed the leader’s hand[/caption]
GettyThe slap divided many across social media platforms, with one person commenting that it was a cultural norm to kiss the hands of elders[/caption]
GettyThe incident occurred on July 27 at the opening of the Aider Plateau Protection and Renewal Project, a province-wide urban transformation and disaster housing initiative.[/caption]