Dr. Kemal Sağlam, an instructor at the Artvin Coruh University (ACU) Faculty of Art Design and Visual Arts, who came to the fore in Rize in recent months after being beaten during his Burger King protest, carried out a different protest in Rize. In the protest held at the July 15 Democracy and Republic Square, Sağlam performed a boxing performance with a punching bag that he had previously prepared and had photos of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli flag on it. In the protest, where the referee also participated as if it were a boxing match, the punching bag with photos of Netanyahu on it and the area where Kemal Sağlam performed were squared off with security tape like a ring. Citizens watched Sağlam’s performance from outside the ring formed by the security tape, chanting slogans like ‘Murderer Israel, Murderer Netanyahu’ and chanting the takbir. The moments when some children jumped into the ring and hit the punching bag produced interesting images. At the end of the performance, the referee took the log, which means ‘wood brought to hell’, in one hand and joined the air by holding Sağlam’s hand with the other. After the performance, the citizens started punching and kicking the sandbag.
Stating that he performed such a performance in order to make the voices of the civilians massacred in Gaza heard to the world, Dr. Sağlam said, “My aim here is to give voice to the massacres in Gaza, we performed an artistic performance. In this artistic performance, I beat Netanyahu with boxing punches. I knocked Netanyahu out. I tried to be with my brothers in Gaza and empathize with the babies and mothers there. I tried to make their voices heard to the world, even if only a little. I love Rize, Rize loves me. Rize loves Gaza, Gaza loves Rize.”