Turkish politician sparks twitter protest after comments about women

Bulent Arinc sparked controversy saying women 'should not laugh in public' and 'can't wait to climb poles when they see one'. Credit: Reuters

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc has sparked a social media storm after saying women should 'not be allowed to laugh in public' and 'can't wait to climb poles when they see one,' NBC reported.

The Turkish politician first said Turkish women should not laugh out loud in public and should blush slightly and lower their heads while averting their eyes from men when speaking about "moral corruption" during an Eid el-Fitr meeting, earlier this week.

His initial comments sparked a social media frenzy with thousands of people protesting by uploading images of women laughing.

But that did not appear to stop the Conservative politician. While trying to explain his comments, he appeared to make matters worse by suggesting women could not resist pole-dancing while on holiday with their extramarital lovers, NBC said.

Tweeters appeared to poke fun at Mr Arinc, creating posts ranging from images of dogs pole-dancing to a picture of a Turkish flagpole covered in clamoring people.

According to Hurriyet Daily News, Ar?nç's comments were directed at the wife of a Turkish soccer player who posted a racy photo on Instagram.