Students protest outside Bogazici University in Istanbul.
Photographer: Ozan Kose / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Ozan Kose / AFP / Getty Images
The music of heavy metal band Metallica has provided the soundtrack as Istanbul students protest President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to impose a loyalist at the head of a prestigious university.
Songs like “Master of Puppets” and “Sad But True” exploded Wednesday through speakers on the Bogazici University campus as students demanded the resignation of their new president, Metallica fan Melih Bulu.
Bulu, a ruling AK Party activist, was appointed over the weekend. The musical digging followed on Tuesday in a television interview where he said he had no intention of improving the university’s culture.
“I’m a rector who listens to hard rock, Metallica,” he said.
If the band’s music has become the soundtrack to the protests, the image of police officers handcuffing a college door has become their iconic image. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing dozens of protesters by truck.