Lobster photos spark anger in Turkey ^{CEFR B2}

A small online scandal has focused attention on inequality and public image during a deepening cost-of-living crisis in Turkey. Several AKP members posted photos of lobster dishes while many citizens face rising prices and poverty. MP Şebnem Bursalı shared a lobster photo from a trip to Monaco and later apologised, saying the picture came from a family vacation. Salih Kahraman also posted a lobster picture at a birthday celebration. The posts prompted criticism that the party was out of touch and sparked widespread memes, including users replacing the party's light bulb logo with a lobster.

The lobster photos were taken at the Yacht Club de Monaco. Its menu lists a 250-gram lobster at EUR 72, roughly TRY 2,500. The club is private: it says it has about 2,500 members from 81 nationalities, new members need sponsorship by two current members, and approvals come from the club president, HSH Prince Albert II. Bursalı did not explain how she was at the club.

Other posts by ruling party MPs drew attention: Huseyin Filiz shared pictures from the Maldives, including the hotel Constance Halaveli, where booking.com shows high nightly rates, and Bahadır Yenişehirlioğlu posted and later deleted a selfie showing a Rolex watch. Commentators argued the issue was the public image these posts created. Turkey's currency has lost 40 percent since last year and more than 80 percent in five years. The Central Bank raised interest rates to 50 percent in March, and its governor, Fatih Karahan, said in April he would take measures to curb inflation, which is estimated to exceed 70 percent by May. The economic situation helped shape local election results in which the AKP lost to the Republican People's Party.