The Presidency's Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun said, "As we witness throughout the world, the messages that young people have been sending in reaction to the genocide that Israel committed in Gaza reflect their compassion, their viewpoint, which recognises the truth in its most bare form, and their fair attitude. Hence, we have to trust in this energy."
Head of Communications Altun spoke at NEXT by TRT World Forum, held at Zorlu Performing Arts Centre in İstanbul, for young journalists, academics, members of non-governmental organisations, and entrepreneurs who are experts in their fields to make their voices heard and exchange ideas.
Stating that the Forum's approach views young people as fundamental actors rather than passive ones, as subjects rather than objects, Head of Communications Altun said that uncertainty may be the most important concept of today's global world, that we live in an uncertain age and that humanity faces various forms of chaos.
Head of Communications Altun referred to an international order that has lost its norms all across the world, stating that the rules therein unfortunately remain on paper.
Highlighting the presence of a profound crisis of justice and truth across the world, Head of Communications Altun said, “All these crises, all this chaotic environment we live in, all these uncertainties actually force us all to raise the question, 'What lies ahead of us? What challenges will we be facing next? What imminent crises does the world have in store for us? What impact will these crises have on us as individuals, our families, and our environment?' In this age of accelerating history and increasing global proximity, we are all endeavouring to safeguard ourselves, our environment, our families, our country and even our values amidst a chaotic environment."
Head of Communications Altun said that protectionism has now emerged as the prevailing principle worldwide and is evident in the policies of both global and regional actors as well as smaller nation states.
Head of Communications Altun stated that Western modernity is experiencing a normative crisis, pointing out that Western modernity, which used to design the international stage with its institutions, is no longer able to shape the international order with these institutions today.
With reference to Israel's attack on Gaza, Head of Communications Altun stated, "We are faced with an international system that is incapable of taking any concrete actions against Israel's genocide in Gaza and has entirely capitulated to Zionism. Notwithstanding its secular and enlightened rhetoric, the international system has essentially capitulated to the ostensibly religious discourse of Zionism. Today, we witnessed the international system trying to legitimise the genocide in Gaza through this religious discourse."
Head of Communications Altun stated that the world has been enslaved by crises of justice and truth, disasters, other epidemics, terrorism, wars, economic crises, irregular migration, and xenophobia, and that there is no systematically operational and functional international order in the face of these problems, nor is there a search for order.
"We must unequivocally advocate for the truth"
Head of Communications Altun emphasised that in this period when contradictions and uncertainties have become evident, they have to work, produce, and unequivocally advocate for the righteous, justice, and truth.
Reminding that there have been other technological revolutions, Head of Communications Altun said that these technologies pose a risk of dehumanisation and deculturisation.
Emphasizing the importance of supporting communication without tolerating disinformation, promote production and development without allowing income inequality, and embrace technological advancements without accepting dehumanization and deculturisation, Head of Communications Altun emphasized the need for a mindful approach.
"The opposite of communication is not silence, but noise"
Stating that young people are increasingly tech-savvy, Head of Communications Altun went on to say:
"All of the technological revolutions we have witnessed and dealt with, from the industrial revolution to the artificial intelligence revolution today, are elements that make significant contributions to the lives of societies. At the same time, these technologies have exacerbated global injustice and the global truth crisis. We will not be technophiles, or lovers of technology, and we will most certainly not be technophobics, or afraid of technology. Because both technophilia and technophobia are products of technological determinism, which which asserts that technology is superior to cultures and people and determines them in all cases and circumstances. No, we will defend humanity and culture at all costs, rejecting dehumanisation and deculturisation in the face of technological advancement. We will believe in culture, we will believe in people and we will believe in the power of simplicity. Because, as we all know, silence is not the opposite of communication. The opposite of communication is noise. In this noisy environment, we will always believe and trust in people, culture, and the power of simplicity to promote robust communication and genuine dialogue. Above all, we are here to do this in the name of truth and justice."
Stating that global systems see young people as targets, as objects to spread their ideologies, Head of Communications Altun said, "They see them as customers who will consume what they produce and consume more without question. In fact, they were assumed to be secondary elements and passive objects. We must reject this outlook. First and foremost, we should not accept the emergence of a young population that blindly consumes what this international clumsy system offers us, as I see you do not."
Head of Communications Altun noted that these factors contributed to the development of young individuals into a more resilient and powerful segment of society in their pursuit of justice, fairness, simplicity, excitement, amazement, and compassion.
Stating that this was seen in Türkiye on July 15, 2016, Altun said:
"On July 15th, a terrorist organisation that had infiltrated the armed forces attempted to stage a coup in Türkiye. This attempted coup was thwarted by Turkish society and civilians, particularly the youth. Undoubtedly, this attempt failed as a result of the steadfast stance of our President and particularly the youth's strong response. If a democratic process is still functional in Türkiye today, if we refer to many achievements as the Century of Türkiye, it is thanks to the young people who were present that day; our young people were martyred; may Allah have mercy on them."
"We need the compassion, sense of justice and resilience of young people"
Head of Communications Altun continued:
"As we witness throughout the world, the messages that young people have been sending in reaction to the genocide that Israel committed in Gaza reflect their compassion, their viewpoint, which recognises the truth in its most bare form, and their fair attitude. Hence, we have to trust in this energy.
In today's world, we need the compassion, simplicity, sense of justice and resilience of young people. In this world, we need the cooperation of young people—your cooperation. We need your open and honest communication as well as your ability to develop relationships on an equal footing. Your participation in civil initiatives on a global scale is critical. We need this as humanity. As humanity, we trust your efforts to combat the global exploitation order, while also uniting against xenophobia and racism worldwide."
Stating that the arrogance of the Enlightenment mindset resulted in destruction, wars and heavy damages in the modern period, Head of Communications Altun said, "Today, we are still paying for this destruction. Today, we are witnessing the aftermath of new and severe destruction in both the Black Sea region and the Middle East. We have to be resilient against them. We must keep this energy alive to transform our world. We must carry on our struggle for justice and equity by developing a global language. We are putting forth our utmost effort and will persist in our endeavours to address this matter."
