Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stunned observers as he was caught on camera seemingly giving a child a light slap on the cheek during a public event.
Mr Erdogan was visiting the Rize province in northeastern Turkey to mark the opening of new housing units when he was approached on stage by a few children.
Among them was a young boy, to whom the president extended his hand to pay him tribute.
When the child, who appeared starstruck, failed to kiss his hand, Mr Erdogan appeared to give him a light slap on the left cheek.
The young child, who had not stopped looking at the president, then grabbed his hand and, seemingly prompted by a bystander, greeted him in accordance with local customs.
The act of kissing the hand and then touching it with the forehead is regarded as a sign of respect in Turkish culture, mostly done to older people.
Mr Erdogan’s gesture, filmed during the event on July 27, didn’t appear malicious or violent but caused a stir among some social media users after a clip showing it was shared on X.
One wrote: “This world makes me sicker by the day”. Another described the gesture as a “disgusting” move from the president, and a third said his behaviour was “pathetic”.
But others were less keen on judging Mr Erdogan for his move, with one X user writing: “Kissing the hand of your elders, parents, grandparents is a sign of respect especially in Turkey. If you don’t do it you get corrected. Especially at a young age.”
Another suggested describing the president’s gesture as a “slap” was exaggerated, as they wrote: “‘Slaps child’, come on now lol”.
This isn’t the first time Mr Erdogan has been caught in a similar controversy. Last year, he was accused of slapping his grandson – an allegation he later denied, saying he was simply stroking him.
Mr Erdogan’s video in Rize was filmed hours before he sparked worldwide outrage by suggesting Turkish troops could enter Israel in support of Palestinians.