Top 10 tweets from Istanbul’s outgoing governor who ‘loved’ Gezi Park

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s Twittersphere is mourning the loss of one of its leading lights, following the reassignment of Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, who has earned a reputation not only for ruthless police crackdowns but also for his poetic - and sometimes cryptic - tweets.

Mutlu was recalled to the central governor’s office in Ankara early on Sept. 16, replaced in Istanbul by Vasip Şahin, the former governor of Malatya.

The outgoing Istanbul governor has amassed almost one million Twitter followers, who he has regularly baffled with unusual tweets. His most controversial messages came during the police crackdown on the Gezi Park protests in the summer of 2013, but there were also times when he tweeted the lines of love poems or wrote in praise of death.

Here are 10 of Mutlu’s most popular, and baffling, tweets:

1) “Young people, I’ve heard there is a peaceful morning in Gezi Park with birdsong, the smell of linden and the sound of bees buzzing. Is it true? I’d so like to be there with you”

Gençler,Gezi parkında kuş sesleri,ıhlamur kokusu ve arı vızıltısıyla huzurlu bir sabah varmış doğru mu?Aranızda olmak isterdim.
— Hüseyin Avni Mutlu (@Valimutlu) June 9, 2013

2) “Death is like a homecoming. Why should it fear those who can look into the depths of the land, the sky and the soul? I love you death”

Ölüm,yuvaya dönüş gibi.Yerin göğün ve ruhun derinliklerine cesurca bakabilen ve sevgiyle yaşayabilene neden korku versin.Seviyorum seni ölüm
— Hüseyin Avni Mutlu (@Valimutlu) September 10, 2014

3) “I was a three-year-old boy, playing in the garden. I suddenly wanted to drink milk, so I ran back home. I put on the brakes, I was miffed”

3 yaşında çocuktum,bahçede oynuyordum. Canım birden süt çekti, uçup eve koşturdum. Yaptım acı bir fren , vaziyete çok bozuldum.
— Hüseyin Avni Mutlu (@Valimutlu) May 11, 2014

4) “I’ve heard that today is ‘World Star Wars Day.’ I wonder what this means. I salute those who use the Force for goodness”

Duyduğuma göre bugün Dünya STAR WARS günüymüş.Nedir diye merak ettim.Gücünü iyilikten yana kullananlara selam olsun.@HktnkIr@taerhadier
— Hüseyin Avni Mutlu (@Valimutlu) May 3, 2014

5) (Replying to a Twitter user who said she wanted pop group One Direction to perform in Turkey) “Who is this One Direksiyon? Doesn’t he know the way to Turkey? We need to let somebody who knows the direction well pick him up”

@birdeimge69hotm Kim bu one direksiyon,kendisi gelemiyormu?yolumu bilmiyor,Direksiyonu sağlam birini gönderip aldırmamız mı gerekiyor.
— Hüseyin Avni Mutlu (@Valimutlu) January 12, 2013

6) (While commenting on a photo of the flash flood in Istanbul in June, Mutlu imitated the accent of a Laz captain, popularly featured in jokes from the Black Sea region) “It has been learned that Temel Reis is the brave captain who started to sail [through the Bosphorus] with a minibus. Bon voyage!”

Minibusüyle deniz seferlerini paşlatan cesur kaptanun Temel Reis oldiği ögrenildi. Hayurli yolcilikler... pic.twitter.com/rvVKcYDu9t
— Hüseyin Avni Mutlu (@Valimutlu) June 3, 2014

7) (After his favorite football team Galatasaray scored a goal)

Gggggoooooooooollllllllllllşll
— Hüseyin Avni Mutlu (@Valimutlu) February 26, 2014

8) (Just before a police crackdown during the Gezi protests) “There are provocative rumors that the police will intervene in Gezi Park tonight. Ignore these rumors. Good night”

Gezi parkına bu gece müdahale edileceği yönünde gene provakatif dedikodular yayılıyor. Bu söylentilere itibar edilmesin. İyi geceler.
— Hüseyin Avni Mutlu (@Valimutlu) June 12, 2013

9) (Again, just before a police intervention during Gezi) “Absolutely, there will not be any intervention against you in Gezi Park or in Taksim. You’re entrusted to our police brothers this morning and later”

GEZİ PARKI ve TAKSİM'e KESİNLİKLE DOKUNULMAYACAK,SİZLERE ASLA DOKUNULMAYACAKTIR.Bu sabah ve bundan sonra polis kardeşlerinize emanetsiniz.
— Hüseyin Avni Mutlu (@Valimutlu) June 11, 2013

10) “Istanbul is flying! We broke the ground for the world’s largest airport with a capacity of 150 million passengers. Good luck, and good luck to [other cities] that may try to catch [Istanbul]”

Uçuyooor,uçuyooor İSTANBUL uçuyooor.150 milyon yolcu kapasiteli Dünyanın en büyük havaalanı temeli atıldı.Hayırlı olsun,yakalayana aşk olsun
— Hüseyin Avni Mutlu (@Valimutlu) June 7, 2014