Long arm of Ankara arm van Erdogan"). The term "long arm" typically signifies a far-reaching influence of something, as is the case in the idiom "long arm of the law". "Ankara" is a metonym for the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Turkish parliament) which is housed in the capital city of Ankara. Internationally, some of the earliest mentions of the term that caught on were regarding Turkish President Erdogan calling for the prosecution of a German and a Dutch comedian over their satirical portrayals of him. "Voice of America" referred to it as the "long arm of the Turkish State." Several outlets reported that
History of Ankara in 1356. Another Turkic ruler, Timur, defeated the Ottomans at the Battle of Ankara in 1402 and captured the city, but in 1403 Ankara was again under Ottoman control. Following the Ottoman defeat during World War I, the Ottoman capital Constantinople was occupied by the Allies. The Turkish nationalist movement, under Kemal Atatürk, established its headquarters in Ankara in 1920 (see Turkish War of Independence). After the War of Independence was won, the Turkish nationalists abolished the Ottoman Empire on October 29, 1923. A few days earlier, on October 13, 1923, Ankara had replaced Constantinople as its capital, and it