The pre-election appearance of a Turkish member of parliament in a mosque of the Gray Wolves in North Rhine-Westphalia provoked a strong reaction from the German Foreign Minister. “No” to hate speech
The Turkish election campaign has already begun… and outside the borders. In Germany they live approx 1.4 million citizens of Turkish origin with the right to vote in Turkey, so Germany is de facto a necessary stop for many Turkish politicians.
But the recent pre-election demonstration by ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP Mustafa Atsikgyez at the Yunus Emre Mosque in the city of Neuss in North Rhine-Westphalia, which is close to the Gray Wolves organization, crossed the line, causing strong reactions in Berlin .
At this particular event, Atsikgyez spoke in front of the gathered voters for “extermination of the Kurds”whom he identifies with the PKK and calls them arrested “Gülenists”.
No to Turkish “hate speech” on German soil
But it didn’t take long for the harsh reaction from the German Foreign Minister to come Analena Burbok, which on Monday even invited representatives of the Turkish embassy to a dialogue in the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, essentially warning that there will be consequences, in the event that politicians from Turkey do not respect what applies in Germany for pre-election events by representatives of foreign countries on German soil.
After the meeting, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the following with two posts on Twitter, thus sending a resounding message to the Turkish side:
Wir haben heute die Türkische Botschaft zu einem Gespräch eingeladen. Auftritte wie der eines türkischen Abgeordneten in Neuss dürfen sich nicht wiederohlen. Hetze & Hassrede haben in Deutschland nichts verloren. 1/2
— Auswärtiges Amt (@AuswaertigesAmt) January 16, 2023
“Appearances like that of the Turkish MP in Neuss they must not be repeated. Provocation and hate speech have no place in Germany (…) We have made it clear that events that are part of the election campaigns of other countries must be approved by us in advance. If Turkish political representatives do not respect the rules, we should consider the consequences.”
DW – Dimitra Kyranoudis, Berlin
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
