04.06.2025 13:21
In the incident where Deniz Eroğlu's children were assaulted in Marmaray, university student 'blue-shirted' İbrahim Aktan, who was involved in the event and lynched on social media, spoke out. Aktan said, "I did not hit anyone; I only intervened verbally to protect a defenseless young woman. Her family called and said, 'Thank you for not leaving our daughter alone.'"
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On May 30, Friday, in Maltepe, Istanbul, a father named Deniz Eroğlu, who boarded Marmaray with his two children, was attacked by a passenger named E.D. (50) with a punch after a dispute. While E.D. was arrested, the 18-year-old girl, who had argued and insulted Eroğlu before the incident, filed a complaint against him.
HE WAS KNOWN AS 'THE BOY IN THE BLUE SHIRT'
During the argument, 22-year-old university student İbrahim Aktan, who was involved in the incident and recognized as "the boy in the blue shirt," also became a target for social media users after being detained and released.
"I INTERVENED WHEN THE GIRL STARTED CRYING"
Speaking to CNN Türk, Aktan stated that he received death threats and said: "I had boarded Marmaray to go home from school. In Bostancı, that father was preparing to board the train with his children. There was a girl around 17-18 years old standing in front of the door. As soon as the man entered, he loudly confronted the girl, saying, 'Why are you standing there blocking me?' But the side was completely empty, and he could have easily passed through there. The girl said, 'Excuse me, brother.' Despite this, the man continued and hurled insults. The girl cried. They were really going after her, so I intervened.
"I STEPPED IN TO SEPARATE THEM"
As soon as the door opened, that man turned and punched, causing the other man's nose to bleed. I was the first to step in to separate them, and I pushed the one who threw the punch. I said, 'There are children, what are you doing?' Then the man who got punched turned and said, 'This happened because of you,' directing all the blame at me. His family called and said, 'Thank you for not leaving our daughter alone.' Violence is not just physical; there can also be verbal violence. The incident exploded on me. The incomplete information and images on social media created this perception.
"I AM RECEIVING DEATH THREATS"
I only made a verbal warning; I never thought that man would hit. The incident exploded on me. The incomplete information and images on social media created this perception. I am receiving death threats, messages and calls saying things like, 'We will kill you, we will cut off your head.' All my personal information has been exposed, and my family is also in a difficult situation.
THE YOUNG GIRL ALSO FILED A COMPLAINT
It has emerged that 18-year-old Zehra A., who claimed that Deniz Eroğlu insulted her while being assaulted in Marmaray with her two children in Istanbul, went to the police on June 1 to file a complaint. Following the complaint made by the young girl, an investigation was initiated, and Deniz Eroğlu was questioned as a suspect.
In her statement as a complainant, Zehra A. described what happened on the day of the incident: "Deniz Eroğlu, whose name I learned later due to the incident, boarded the train with two children. I was standing on the left side of the door where this person boarded the train. Since he had children in both hands, three people boarded the train side by side at the same time. As this person boarded the train, he said to me, 'Get out of the way, why are you standing here? I can't pass, if the children get stuck, who will take responsibility for this?' I told him, 'I'm sorry, brother. The train is already crowded; I moved as much as I could.'
"YOU ARE UNDERFOOT EVERYWHERE"
He continued to talk to himself, moving close behind me. Using derogatory words, he referred to my headscarf, saying, 'You are everywhere, you are underfoot.' To avoid arguing with him, I said, 'Patience or safety.' When he heard this, he said, 'The 20-year-old girl is saying patience or safety.' I couldn't react to him, so I started to cry.
At that moment, I tried to move away, but I couldn't because the train was crowded. Ekrem Dur approached the door to get off and said to Deniz Eroğlu, who was reacting to me, 'You made the girl cry, do you like what you did, why are you prolonging it? If you have children, she is also someone's child.' When Deniz Eroğlu shouted, 'What does it concern you... who are you?' Ekrem Dur hit him and got off the train.
İbrahim Aktan then said both inside and outside the train, 'Why are you reacting so much to the girl, why are you escalating the situation?' Later, Deniz Eroğlu and İbrahim Aktan got off the train at Süreyyapaşa station. While outside the train, Deniz Eroğlu attacked İbrahim Aktan and tore his shirt."
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