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October 26, 2020
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has launched an appeal to boycott French products, after yesterday the French president Emmanuel Macron had asked for an end to similar exhortations, circulated in some Islamic countries due to the satirical cartoons against Muhammad.
"Don't buy French products," Erdogan asked, continuing to fuel the controversy remotely with his French colleague, less than 48 hours after France's decision to recall the ambassador to Ankara to Paris.
The decision came after Erdogan had declared that Macron has "mental problems".
"In France they said not to buy Turkish products, I turn to my country and ask you to absolutely avoid buying French products," said Erdogan, before returning to the religious-based controversy with the French president.
"I say this to Christians and Jews. First of all we are human beings and in our religion (Islam, ed), being Christian is definitely not a fault, just as it is not being Jewish. If Muslims in France are oppressed then I appeal to political leaders to intervene ", added the Turkish president.
After the frictions in Libya in recent months and in the eastern Mediterranean last summer, Erdogan is now arguing with Macron after the latter's assertion that he spoke of "French Islam".
Muslims in Europe as Jews under Nazism
"In Europe a lynching campaign similar to the one against the Jews before the Second World War is taking place against Muslims," added Erdogan, denouncing "Islamophobia" as a "plague of European countries" .
"I appeal to Chancellor Merkel. If you have freedom of religion, how is it that there have been almost 100 attacks on mosques? You are the true fascists, you are the heirs of the Nazis."