Turkish protesters have invented a new verb: ‘chapul’

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Ergodan hasn’t exactly been conciliatory toward protesters over the past week, condemning "extremists" and "bandits" for trying to destabilize the country. He also strongly objects to Twitter, which he has accused of being the "worst menace to society." Menace or not, Erdogan’s reference to protesters as "capulcu" (looters) has taken ...

By , a former editorial assistant and researcher at Foreign Policy.
Twitter User @BBabayev
Twitter User @BBabayev
Twitter User @BBabayev

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Ergodan hasn't exactly been conciliatory toward protesters over the past week, condemning "extremists" and "bandits" for trying to destabilize the country. He also strongly objects to Twitter, which he has accused of being the "worst menace to society."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Ergodan hasn’t exactly been conciliatory toward protesters over the past week, condemning "extremists" and "bandits" for trying to destabilize the country. He also strongly objects to Twitter, which he has accused of being the "worst menace to society."

Menace or not, Erdogan’s reference to protesters as "capulcu" (looters) has taken Twitter by storm. Turkish social media users have anglicized the word to "chapul" — and they’re bearing it proudly.

According to one Urban Dictionary definition, chapul is a verb that signifies "resistance to force" — to "demand justice" and "seek one’s right." 

To use the word in a sentence you could say one of the following:

 

Even Noam Chomsky has gotten in on the action:

It’ll be hard, though, for activists to top this:

 

For more fun with the Turkish protests, be sure to check out Andy Carvin’s collection of humorous political art.

Neha Paliwal is a former editorial assistant and researcher at Foreign Policy.

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