Ankara (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called for a boycott of French products, adding a stone to the criticisms raining down on Emmanuel Macron in the Middle East after recent comments defending the freedom to caricature the Prophet Muhammad and freedom of expression.
"Just as in France some say + do not buy Turkish brands +, I am speaking from here to my nation: above all do not pay attention to French brands, do not buy them", declared Mr. Erdogan in a speech in Ankara.
"A lynching campaign similar to that against European Jews before WWII is being waged against Muslims," he added, accusing some European leaders of "fascism" and "Nazism" ".
On two occasions, this weekend, the Turkish president had questioned the "mental health" of French President Emmanuel Macron, denouncing his positions vis-à-vis Muslims.
The speech of the French president during a national tribute to the professor beheaded in an Islamist attack on October 16 for showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class, in particular aroused his anger.
However, the French president has registered a series of support in Europe, starting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
"President Erdogan's remarks against President Emmanuel Macron are unacceptable. The Netherlands resolutely defends the common values of the EU alongside France. For freedom of expression and against extremism and radicalism "he tweeted.
On Sunday, the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also expressed their support for the French president.
- "Blackmail" -
As of Saturday evening, French products were withdrawn from supermarket shelves in Doha, Qatar.
In Jordan, videos on social networks showed supermarket shelves emptied of their French products, or replaced by those from other countries.
The videos were accompanied by the hashtags #France Boycott or "#Our Prophet is a red line" (The prophet is our red line).
The head of the Amman chamber of commerce, Khalil Haj Tawfeeq wrote to the French ambassador to Jordan asking Emmanuel Macron to immediately apologize.
Calls for demonstrations were launched for Monday in the Gaza Strip and Tuesday in Amman.
This weekend, several gatherings took place, in Tunisia or in certain regions of Syria, even if they only brought together a few dozen people.
"There is no question of giving in to blackmail," denounced Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, the head of Medef, the main employers' union in France, calling on French companies to put their "principles" before business.
Agri-food, luxury goods and cosmetics companies could be particularly affected by this boycott in the countries of the Maghreb and the Near and Middle East.
- Hacking -
Several dozen small French websites have also been affected by a wave of computer hacks consisting in making them post Islamist propaganda messages, AFP noted on Monday.
Messages such as "Victory for Mohammed, victory for Islam and Death to France" and a montage depicting Emmanuel Macron dressed as a pig were displayed instead of the home page of retiree association sites, shops or small town halls.
On Monday, the French Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot called for "appeasement", explaining that France was not fighting "against French Muslims" but against "Islamism and terrorism".
The day before, the French Foreign Ministry declared that "the calls for a boycott are without any object and must cease immediately, as well as all the attacks directed against our country, instrumentalized by a radical minority".
Emmanuel Macron tweeted shortly after: "Freedom, we cherish it; equality, we guarantee it; fraternity, we live it with intensity. Nothing will make us back down, ever".
Besides Mr. Erdogan, several political leaders in the Muslim world have also criticized Emmanuel Macron.
In Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan accused him of "attacking Islam".
The Moroccan Foreign Ministry said the Kingdom "strongly condemned the continued publication of cartoons outrageous against Islam and the Prophet".
The Taliban also condemned the "statements by the French president" in a statement, calling them "ignorant and Islamophobic".
© 2020 AFP