ABTTF President: “We call on the competent authorities of our country to immediately take the necessary steps by showing the same sensitivity in preventing hate speech targeting the Turkish community in Western Thrace which has notably increased lately.”
“Dimokratia” newspaper, which is published nation-wide in our country Greece, used on its front page a scandalous headline which includes strong insults towards the President of our motherland, the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday 18 September 2020. It was remarked that the ugly headline was in Turkish on the front page of the newspaper which is known in our country for its far right and anti-Turkey content.
In a written statement delivered on the same day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country condemned the insulting headline of “Dimokratia” newspaper which targeted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In the statement which indicated that freedom of expression and the press does not eliminate the obligation to refrain from insults to the personality of any person, mostly being foreign leaders and underlining that insult is not in accordance with the political culture of the country and that it would always be condemned.
“We strongly condemn the abusive insult which was made by one of our country Greece’s national newspapers targeting President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Freedom of expression and the press does not give the freedom to insult openly any political leader, office, or person. This is first and foremost in contradiction to the principles of journalism. For this reason, it is not possible to accept that President Erdoğan is targeted with a headline which besides includes strong insults in Turkish. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country, as it should be, condemned in a written statement the scandalous headline which was used by this newspaper. Likewise, we call on the competent authorities of our country to immediately take the necessary steps by showing the same sensitivity in preventing hate speech targeting the Turkish community in Western Thrace which has notably increased lately”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
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