Each time a tragedy, like the February 6 earthquake, hits Turkey, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) resorts to an all too common language — it is fate. Taking responsibility for its actions was never AKP's forte. In its 20 years of leadership, there have been only a handful of exceptions, where officials handed in their resignations over the ruling government's mistakes. In short, there is always someone else to blame or hold accountable. If not for massive public outcry following the earthquake, the ruling government might never have publicly acknowledged their mishandling of the earthquake response. But even then, the state blamed the massive scale of the disaster for the delays in the dispatch of search and rescue missions, rather than a lack of state preparedness or emergency measures. But while the state was searching for scapegoats and focusing on face-saving measures, Turks from all walks of life were busy mobilizing across the country, raising donations, collecting essential goods for the victims, coordinating transport and aid, sharing endless lists of still much-needed supplies like tents, flash lights, baby formula, hygienic kits, and more. Among them were rock stars, actors, singers, and countless volunteers. But they too have been targeted by the ruling party and those affiliated with them. Rather than uniting the country and its people after this tragedy, the ruling government has yet again, resorted to division and enmity. The most recent example occurred in Pazarcik, a town and a district in the southern part of Kahramanmaraş Province, which was at the epicenter of the earthquake. According to reports, the local governorship seized the donated goods at the Crisis Coordination Center, informing the team of volunteers working at the center that the State Disaster and Emergency Authority (AFAD) was in charge. In an interview with Turkish online newspaper Evrensel, Yurdagül Cabat who heads the Ankara branch of Eğitim-Sen, a left-wing trade union consisting of teachers and other education workers, one of the groups helping to distribute aid, Cabat said, “The governor of Pazarcik showed up here with soldiers and seized the aid collected for distribution. They told us we were no longer allowed to help with aid.” Many criticized the takeover, including, The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) which has been part of the coordination efforts. According to reporting by BirGun newspaper, HDP co-chair Pervin Buldan in a statement: They are preventing the assistance campaign by HDP. Those who were absent since the beginning of the earthquake, especially in the first days, who did not bring aid to our people in any way, started an initiative to prevent the aid that has already been collected. There were plenty of other scapegoats to target too, including Oğuzhan Uğur, a musician, script writer, director, and presenter of the popular show “Topics: Open Microphone” via his Babala TV, YouTube channel. The show features prominent politicians speaking with audience members and answering their questions. Since the day of the earthquake, Uğur and his team have been collecting funds to cover the essential needs of the earthquake-hit provinces — tents, generators, machinery required for removing the rubble, medical supplies, and much more. He has also raised TRY 29 million (USD 1,537,000) in cash donations which Uğur has donated to Ahbap, a local non-governmental initiative founded by Haluk Levent, a Turkish rockstar. The duo was heavily criticized by the ruling party officials as well as the members of the nationalist (MH) party. Among them was Birol Gür, former MHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman who resigned from his post in December last year. Gür urged people to donate to AFAD rather than Ahbap and Uğur, saying “there are concerns whether the raised funds reach those affected by the earthquake.” Ahbap's website was also subject to DDoS attacks — attempts to block it from public use. AK Party Kırşehir Provincial Board Member Berk Can Doğan, targeting Levent and Uğur, wrote, “The labor and sweat of tens of thousands of volunteers should not be fed to these two.” Doğan also said in the following tweets that the aid campaigns started by Ahbap and Bababala TV founder Uğur were discrediting the reputation of state-funded aid. However, the next day Doğan said after the reactions to his tweet, he went to Ahbap's website and saw that the organization has been collaborating with AFAD for a long time now. “Even though I used some bad expressions in my angry state yesterday, I had no such intention,” tweeted Doğan. Turgay Güler, a journalist, affiliated with the ruling AK party went on a diatribe on television accusing YouTubers, social media persons, and others of turning the earthquake into a PR platform.