A performance by British Cypriot singer Isin Karaca at a festival in Komotini, a northeastern town in Greece, has sparked significant backlash across the country.
Karaca took the stage at the Young Academics’ Association (Gat) festival on Sunday evening. While some attendees welcomed her participation, her choice to perform the song “Izmir Marsi” drew considerable criticism. The song’s lyrics commemorate the entry of Mustafa Kemal’s forces into Izmir during the Greco-Turkish War in 1922, a period marked by violence and tragedy, including a devastating fire that followed the Turkish forces’ arrival.
Previously under Greek control since its capture from the Ottoman Empire in 1919, Izmir—then known as Smyrna—fell under the authority of Mustafa Kemal’s Grand National Assembly on September 9, 1922. This transition led to the forced expulsion of many Greeks from the city, with countless individuals losing their homes and possessions to the flames.
Given this historical context, many Greeks found the song to be deeply offensive. Following Karaca’s performance, local media outlets expressed outrage, with Evros News calling it an “unacceptable provocation.” Another outlet, Komotini Press, accused Karaca of “committing an indecency on Greek soil” that insulted her Greek co-performers. They asserted the need for the public to recognize the “disgrace” that had unfolded at the event organized under the auspices of the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace regional government.
Additionally, the article suggested Karaca’s success is attributed to alleged ties to Turkey’s deep state—a claim that remains unverified. The performance was also interpreted as a reaction from the Turkish government to Greek singer Despina Vandi’s recently canceled concert in Izmir. Vandi had withdrawn from a charity event in Cesme after local authorities refused to remove a Turkish flag and a portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk from the stage.
These developments caught the attention of Rena Dourou, a member of the opposition party Syriza, who condemned the incident as “Turkish revisionism in action in Thrace.” She urged Greek authorities, including the foreign ministry, to take a firm stance, warning that “silence means acceptance and all that it implies.”
Isin Karaca, a British Turkish Cypriot singer born in London in 1973, notably represented Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2000.
Outrage Erupts In Greece Over Cypriot Singer’s Controversial Performance (greekcitytimes.com)