It’s difficult to place a centerfold ad in The New York Times, but the organization Justice For Kurds did just that. The organization placed a centerfold ad entitled, “It’s Time to Break With Erdogan” on Friday, October 9, 2020, the one-year anniversary of the Turkish invasion of North and East Syria. VIEW THE FULL AD HERE.
“As we mark the anniversary of the Turkish invasion of northern Syria on October 9, 2019, the Kurds’ reality remains one of darkness and indeed oppression at the hands of those with designs of empire,” reads the ad. The ad denounces the Turkish “menace” and condemns Turkey’s “aggressive and murderous offensive carried out by the Turkish government against the Kurds of Syria.”
The ad contains 84 quotes, headlines, and comments on record that are also damning to Turkey, including those by The New York Times, FOX News, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Washington Post, France 24, The Guardian, The Hill, Politico, CNN, the Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, and Foreign Policy Magazine.
The New York Times is a newspaper read by of the most influential people in the United States, including policymakers, elected officials, and government employees. It is known as the newspaper of record. As such, the ad will have been viewed by a significant number of the paper’s 5.8 million subscribers.
It remains to be seen whether this ad will serve as a key bellwether, signaling a shift in US policy towards Turkey, but it represents a significant effort to promote justice for the Kurds and the people of North and East Syria.