(Bloomberg) -- The Turkish police force started to crack down on social media content that it says went against the country’s military operation in Syria, and launched legal action against 78 people. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone has been detained.
The posts represented incitement to “hatred,” the national police force said on its website late Wednesday, and accused the posters of engaging in “propaganda of a terrorist organization.” The charges carry years in prison if upheld by a court.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan formally announced the beginning of a military offensive into northeastern Syria late Wednesday, three days after President Donald Trump said the U.S. wouldn’t stand in the way. A major ground incursion began hours later.
The latest move by Turkish police mirrors actions during the country’s military operation into Syria’s Afrin town in early 2018, when hundreds of people were detained and some formally arrested.
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