A video showing Turkey‘s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan allegedly ‘slapping‘ a child on stage at a state function has gone viral.
The incident occurred on July 27 during the opening ceremony of a program to celebrate houses rebuilt under the Erdogan government’s urban transformation program in Turkey’s northern Rize province.
During the event, Erdogan was handing keys to homeowners of houses rebuilt as part of an urbanization project.In the video, it could be seen that two boys were brought on stage, and Erdogan extended his hand for them to kiss, a traditional sign of respect in Turkey.
One of the boys hesitated and looked at the president momentarily, after which Erdogan slapped him. After a moment, the child kissed Erdogan’s hand, and the president handed him money.

This incident has drawn significant criticism and debate. While some interpreted Erdogan’s action as playful, others saw it as inappropriate behavior, especially for a national leader.

This isn’t the first such incident involving Erdogan. Last year, he slapped his grandson in a similar manner, which also generated controversy.
The incident adds to the scrutiny of Erdogan’s public interactions and actions. Earlier on Sunday, another video of Erdogan addressing his party workers went viral globally. In this video, Erdogan discussed Israel’s war on Gaza and the possibility of Turkish intervention, comparing it to Turkish actions in Libya and Karabakh.