Ceremony and Controversies: Political Banners in Graduation Parades

As graduation ceremonies take place across Türkiye, universities celebrate through diverse traditions. While some universities organize formal events, others—such as the Middle East Technical University (METU)—feature student-organized parades where banners reflecting personal, academic, and social themes are displayed.

Located in Ankara, METU is known for its large, green campus and politically active student body. The university has frequently been a center for debates, as the environment and the common mindset of the students tend to be dissident and rebellious towards the governments, especially the ongoing AK Party administration. This atmosphere led to protests on different topics, centered mainly around politics. For instance, METU students played a critical role by partaking in protests following the March 2025 incarceration of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayoral figure and presidential candidate of CHP, which both led to police interventions and sparked further discussions.

A banner from the ceremony (Onedio.com)

Although many graduation parades focus on student life via humor elements, METU’s banners possess a political tone. Using puns, irony, and satire, students express criticism toward the political climate.

Referring to the cancellation of Ekrem Imamoglu’s university diploma by the president of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, there were some banners criticizing the government. Some examples were “If they say you don’t have a diploma, you are the witness.” “A diploma cannot be created out of nothing or be destroyed.” “Diploma.pdf was not deleted.”

Some condemned the general state of Türkiye: “We teach first aid because the entire country is in a state of emergency.” “If we had designed such a flawed system, we wouldn’t have graduated.”

Others were about the inadequate infrastructure, neglect, and lack of control: “We are engineers. However, we can’t calculate one thing: neglect. #İzmir #Hatay #Mersin #KartalOtel #Antalya #Bursa.” “We want ‘sustainable’ cities, not ‘unsustained’ lives.”

Other banners touched on the police intervention with riot control vehicles (TOMA), which had pressurized water used to repel protestors; it was frequently used in the uprisings of METU. As a Turkish parliament member of CHP, Mahmut Tanal’s famous yet ironic saying, “What is TOMA doing in METU?” has become a symbol of these critiques. Student banners were towards this regard: “In which situation is it necessary to intervene with water? A) Forest fires B) Youth seeking justice.” This banner also condemned the forest fires of Türkiye, the increased numbers, and the lack of aid from the government.

An important point was the trustee that was appointed to METU last year. Apart from criticizing him, students also protested the trustee by turning their backs while he was making his speech, pointing out their standing against this new administrator assigned by the government. “We were without a trustee in the beginning; we thought we would stay like this forever.” This was a pun on the song Zamansizdik by Manifest. “They asked the trustee why his neck was crooked. He immediately called the police. ” referenced the Turkish proverb: “They told the camel its neck was crooked; it replied, ‘Which part of me is straight?’”

Besides METU, another significant university of Türkiye, Istanbul Technical University (ITU), also had a graduation ceremony that raised controversies. A couple of students opened a banner in the ceremony about a Quranic verse. Some students stood up and tried to cover up the banner, which was an act condemned by the university administration, referring to it as “an unacceptable example of intolerance,” reminding that the graduation ceremonies are about sharing a common enthusiasm.

In conclusion, university graduation ceremonies in Türkiye have become more than an academic milestone, and they have started to reflect the country’s social and political status. These banners are evidence of the youth engagement and intervention in the nation’s issues.

Edited by: Ömer Gökce