The dispute between Erdogan and Macron escalates – the most important in 4 points

The dispute between Erdogan and Macron escalates and now there is this cartoon

The relationship between France and Turkey has steadily cooled in recent months. The two countries are facing several ongoing conflicts on opposite sides. For example in Libya, in the gas dispute in the eastern Mediterranean and, more recently, in the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

Since mid-October, the mood between Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Recep Tayyip Erdogan has deteriorated again. There were even calls for a boycott and Nazi confrontations. Now the satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo” has once again added fuel to the fire.

How did this come about?

Beheading of Samuel Paty

The trigger for the renewed escalation is the murder of a French teacher, Samuel Paty, near Paris on October 16. An 18-year-old ambushed Paty, beheaded him and then posted a photo of the victim with a message to French President Emmanuel Macron, whom he described as the “leader of the infidels”.

Shortly after the crime, the perpetrator was shot dead by the police. The beheading was preceded by numerous threats against the teacher and the school. In early October, the teacher addressed the topic of freedom of expression as part of the class, where he showed, among other things, cartoons of Mohammed.

As a result, a student’s father posted posts on social networks, complained to the school management and rallied against the teacher. This incited the author so much that he ended the teacher’s life with a 30-centimeter knife.

This is what Macron said

The murder of the teacher sparked a great wave of solidarity. In the following days, thousands of people took to the streets across France to commemorate Samuel Paty and to defend freedom of expression.

President Emmanuel Macron did the same. He announced determination and action in the fight against radical Islam. Macron promotes an Islam “compatible with the values ​​of the republic”. The clear separation of church and state is a fundamental principle of the French constitution.

At Paty’s emotional commemoration, Macron called for the defense of freedom. “We won’t be doing without cartoons (and) drawings,” Macron said. 47-year-old Paty was the victim of a deadly conspiracy of stupidity, lies and hatred of others, Macron said. “Come on, (Lord) teacher!”

Macron had previously prepared his compatriots for a long struggle against radical Islam. A “battle” must be waged in the areas of security, education and culture, and “it will last,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal told the head of state after a cabinet meeting.

In early October, Macron announced a new law in the fight against “separatism” and “radical Islamism”. It needs to be discussed in the Cabinet in early December and is now likely to be more difficult than initially anticipated.

Macron repeated his point over the weekend. On Twitter, he spoke out against hate speech and spread the message in various languages, including Arabic. “We will never give up, ever,” said the 42-year-old.

Erdogan’s reaction

The harsh repression of radical Islamism did not go along well with the Turkish president. “What problem does this person named Macron have with Islam and Muslims?” Erdogan asked at a congress of his AKP party in Kayseri. The Turkish president spoke of “worrying signs of growing Islamophobia in Europe” and advised the French president to have his “state of mind” examined.

In addition, Erdogan made a comparison with National Socialism. “You are in the true sense of the word fascists,” he said. “Muslims are experiencing a lynching campaign similar to that conducted against Jews in Europe before the Second World War.” He accused European governments of being “links in the chain of National Socialism”. After these statements, Paris recalled its ambassador from Ankara in protest – an incident that had never happened before.

But that’s not all: on Monday Erdogan called for a boycott of French products in a televised speech. “Don’t pay attention to goods labeled in French, don’t buy them,” the Turkish president said. Erdogan then joined the boycott calls that had previously circulated in the Middle East.

Because Erdogan is not alone with his criticisms of Macron. The governments of Jordan, Morocco, Kuwait and Pakistan also rejected Macron’s statements. There have been mass demonstrations in Bangladesh and other places.

Saudi Arabia once again described the Mohammed cartoons as “offensive”. “Saudi Arabia rejects any attempt to link Islam and terrorism,” reads a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Riyadh. In the caricatures Mohammend is shown wearing a bomb-shaped turban, among other things.

“Charlie Hebdo” he adds

“Charlie Hebdo” has warmed the already warm atmosphere again. The caricature on the cover of Wednesday’s edition of “Charlie Hebdo,” published online Tuesday evening, shows Erdogan in a white top and underpants sitting in an armchair.

He holds a can in his hand and lifts a veiled woman’s robe to reveal her bare bottom. “Ohh! The Prophet! ”Reads a comic. The page is titled with the words: “Erdogan – privately it’s a lot of fun”.

Turkey’s reaction was not long in coming. Erdogan’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, accused the magazine of “cultural racism” late Tuesday evening. The “so-called caricatures” are “repulsive” and devoid of human morality, reads a message. “French President Emmanuel Macron’s anti-Muslim agenda is bearing fruit!” Altun wrote.

Ankara’s prosecutor’s office on Wednesday launched an investigation into the presidential insult against “Charlie Hebdo”, according to the state news agency Anadolu.

Erdogan’s spokesman also strongly condemned the new “Charlie Hebdo” cartoons. The intention of the publication is “to sow seeds of hatred and hostility,” wrote Ibrahim Kalin on Twitter. “Anyone with common sense should condemn and reject this disgusting publication.”

Erdogan himself said Wednesday that he had not seen the front page of Charlie Hebdo, but had heard about it. It was below his dignity to even pay attention to such “obscene publications”.

He had nothing to say to those who insulted the Prophet Muhammad. “We know that the goal is not me, but the values ​​we represent,” says Erdogan. It is “a matter of honor” to oppose attacks on the prophet.

(With material from sda / dpa)