Military coup underway in Turkey

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/angela-merkel-hitler-turkey-newspaper-erdogan-nazi-row-rallies-a7635761.html

The tabloid accused Ms Merkel of attempting to lead a fascists movement against Turkey and of using Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium to stir up enmity in Germany’s “back yard”.

The Turkish President has accused both countries of supporting terrorism and acting “like Nazis”, provoking an angry response from Europe, with Ms Merkel and French President Francois Hollande branding the comments “unacceptable”.

Turkey’s president: Turks living in Europe should all have 5 children.
Making European nationalists uncomfortable is good politics for him.

Speaking at a rally in the Turkish city of Eskisehir on Friday, Erdoğan told his compatriots living in Europe that they should view success — and the creation of big families — as the best way to combat the swell in anti-Muslim and anti-Turkish sentiment across the continent.

“Go live in better neighborhoods. Drive the best cars. Live in the best houses. Make not three, but five children. Because you are the future of Europe. That will be the best response to the injustices against you,” he said.

Anti-immigrant nationalists shudder at the idea of a swiftly growing and more powerful Turkish — and Muslim — population in Europe. And that’s exactly why Erdoğan encouraged it.

The Turkish-European relationship is in a state of chaos these days, and Erdoğan has found it politically advantageous to throw fuel on the fire. He’s currently touring Turkey in a bid to whip up support for a referendum on a constitutional amendment that would endow the presidency — and therefore him — with far more power. It’s a move his political opponents and many analysts see as a bald attempt at formalizing authoritarian rule in Turkey.

But playing up anti-Turkish sentiment and attacking Europe is proving to be an effective way of stirring up nationalist sentiments at home, which he hopes will translate into support for his referendum. And indeed, Erdoğan’s main opposition, the Republican People’s Party, has backed his recent denunciations of Europe.

Those denunciations have been aggressive. Earlier this month, Erdoğan accused Germany of behaving like “Nazis” after several German cities canceled rallies supporting his referendum, citing security concerns. Last weekend, he labeled Dutch authorities “Nazi remnants” after they prevented his ministers from campaigning for his referendum among Turkish expats in the Netherlands.

European nationalists have also fed off of this antagonism and used it for their own political gain. Dutch anti-immigrant firebrand Geert Wilders eagerly attempted to take credit for the Dutch government’s decision to bar the Turkish ministers from entering the country in the run up to the national election this week, in which he ended up second place.

While fiery politicians in both Europe and Turkey have much to gain in the short-term from combative posturing, there’s also some serious long-term costs that are being incurred. A big agreement between Turkey and the European Union hangs in the balance: Last year, Turkey agreed to curb the flow of migrants from the Middle East into Europe in exchange for $3 billion in economic aid, visa-free travel for Turks to Europe, and a renewed push in talks over Turkey joining the EU.

Should relations continue to sour between the two, the agreement could evaporate, and potentially contribute to a huge disruption in economic ties.

NUCLEAR TURKEY? Imam close to Erdogan calls for weapons NOW amid tensions with EU
TURKEY should ignore rules set by ‘the West’ and build its own NUCLEAR WEAPONS - an Imam close to president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has advised - as the fallout between Brussels and Ankara deepens.

The worrying advice has been called weeks ahead of a Turkish referendum aimed at giving more power to President Erdogan - and in the midst of a keeping fallout between Ankara and EU leaders.

Hayrettin Karaman, the Turkish AK Party’s go-to religious leader, attacked ‘the West’ in a letter which insisted Erdogan should immediately invest in weapons of mass destruction.

In the online post the imam accused Christian countries in the West of egotism and racism - stating the bad attitude towards Turkey has been “accelerated”.
President Erdogan is in the midst of a deep fall out with European nations including Germany and the Netherlands after both countries banned rallies and kicked out his ministers who had sworn to campaign for his referendum.

Mr Erdogan retaliated by comparing them to Nazis and protests were held outside the Dutch embassy in Ankara.

The fallout threatens the £5billion one-for-one migrant deal.   But, if Mr Erdogan listens to his favourite religious leader, the tensions could be ramped up even further.

In a post online Mr Karaman called for the swift development of nuclear weapons.

He wrote: “Once upon a time, military forces are arrows and horses, and now weapons are effective weapons invented by the age of science and technology, especially nuclear, and are the means by which they can be used.

“We need to look at inventing these weapons, not buying them, without losing any time and listening to the words and obstacles of the West.

“We invent, balance, but do not use weapons of mass destruction unless it is necessary; the way of not using it is to have the enemy or stronger.”

The Imam launched a scathing attack on the United States and Europe - insisting modern day developments have been paid for by crimes of the past.   He said: “When it comes to values ​​such as human rights, conscience, morality, justice, everyone knows and sees that the West implements a very ugly double standard without being embarrassed and ignorant.

“Today, the wealth that the West (including the United States) has is derived from the East more extensively through extortion and robbery (colonialism).

“It is not even possible to account for the material and moral values ​​that the West has inflicted on the East for its bloody material benefit.”

Mr Karaman wrote the post for the Yeni Şafak Newspaper in his column titled ‘What to do’.

In his post the Imam referred to the West “dismantling the great Ottoman Turks” and “digging up the roots of Islam”.

He said Turkey must fight fire with fire - and match the weaponry in Europe.

He said: “The West relies on material and military power, not on the right, the law, the adjective, the power of contemporary values ​​while doing what it wants to the East and especially the leading potential Turkey.

“If you want to get rid of being an oppressed and victim of the East, your right to religion is not justified; You need to be stronger than your enemy, not when you are right, but when you are strong.”

As the relationship between Washington and Ankara wavered in 2016, Nato nuclear weapons in Turkey were being moved to Romania, it was claimed.

According to a report by the Simson Center, since the Cold War, some 50 US tactical nuclear weapons have been stationed at Turkey’s Incirlik air base, approximately 100 kilometres from the Syrian border.   But after the failed coup a removal project began, it was reported.

Turkey's president campaigns for referendum at war memorial.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Cheered by flag-waving supporters, the Turkish president turned a commemoration of a World War I campaign into a political rally on Saturday, slamming Europe and declaring that a constitutional referendum next month on whether to expand his powers will enhance Turkey's place in the world.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan outlined his vision at a stadium ceremony in the Aegean port of Canakkale, near where Ottoman armies held off an Allied expeditionary force in 1915-1916, a bloody event that helps to underpin staunch nationalism in Turkey today.

While Turkey calls it the Canakkale battle, its former Allied adversaries, including Australia and New Zealand, refer to it as the Gallipoli campaign. While military units marched and performers in Ottoman-style robes banged drums and cymbals, Erdogan was less focused on past feats than on his current political battle, whose outcome could secure his status as one of the most powerful figures in Turkey since the country's 1923 founding after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

https://www.mail.com/int/news/europe/5046522-turkeys-president-campaigns-referendum-war-memoria.html#.1258-stage-hero1-6

Gallipoli was undeniably a stunning victory for Turkey, and a beyond stupid act by the Allies, IMO. Failing to notice those cliffs that gave perfect cover to Turkish troops is even worse than walking very slowly into machine gun fire at the Somme.

I freely admit, it makes me angry to think how many lives were simply thrown away in WW1.

bb1 wrote:Gallipoli was undeniably a stunning victory for Turkey, and a beyond stupid act by the Allies, IMO. Failing to notice those cliffs that gave perfect cover to Turkish troops is even worse than walking very slowly into machine gun fire at the Somme.

There to meet them were Turkish troops under the command of a German general and a charismatic Turkish colonel named Mustafa Kemal. LL

I watched a documentary about Gallipoli, LL; Turks whose grandfathers had fought there told them ordinary soldiers often felt pity for the Allied troops, who were simply doomed, whether by death in battle, or disease. Obviously, the Turks had no choice but to fight for their own country, and suffered great losses themselves.

I actually have NO idea what the Allies thought they were going to acheive:



Maybe they totally misjudged the Ottoman troops, and didn't grasp that they would fight to the death for their country? How the HELL did they imagine they were going to charge up those cliffs, with cannon and gunfire raining down on them - and on the Allied navies?

There is no rationale or reason to wage war just hate, greed for land .... LL

......and power.

Free speech permits ‘insults’ about Turkish president, says Switzerland.

The Swiss justice office has refused four requests by Turkey for judicial cooperation over comments posted on social media platforms about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he deemed offensive.

Writing in January, the Tages Anzeiger said Turkey had lodged half a dozen requests for legal aid, demanding that Switzerland pursue critics who had ‘insulted’ Erdogan.

On Thursday a spokesman from the Swiss justice office, Folco Galli, told broadcaster SRF that four requests lodged by Turkey in mid January had been rejected, citing free speech.

Switzerland would only be obliged to cooperate if the act concerned was considered a crime in both Turkey and Switzerland, he said.

Speaking to the SRF Galli said: “If similar criticisms had been expressed in Switzerland against a federal councillor in the course of a political debate, they would of course have been tolerated as an expression of free speech.”

According to the Tages Anzeiger, in Turkey criminal proceedings are being pursued against some 2,000 people for supposedly insulting Erdogan through words or cartoons on social media since the failed military coup last summer.

Earlier this week the Swiss tabloid Blick became the target of Turkish complaints after it published an article calling for Turks in Switzerland to vote against a forthcoming referendum that would give Erdogan more powers.

The Turkish authorities said the article was “offensive” towards Erdogan and called for Blick to “make amends for the lack of respect shown to our president”.

Blick said its article was praised by many, including politicians and other Swiss media outlets.

Good for Switzerland - Turkey's bullying is beyond a joke now.

30,000 Kurds in Frankfurt anti-Erdogan protest.

Some 30,000 Turkish Kurds have held a demonstration in the German city of Frankfurt against the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Protesters came from all over Germany ahead of Kurdish new year celebrations.

They called for democracy and a No vote in next month's Turkish referendum on increasing presidential powers. Many carried symbols of the banned PKK.

Turkey condemned the gathering as "unacceptable" and accused Germany of hypocrisy for allowing it.

A diplomatic row has been escalating between the countries since Germany refused to let Turkish ministers hold pro-government rallies in the country two weeks ago.

Mr Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said in a statement: "It is unacceptable to see PKK symbols and slogans... when Turkish ministers and lawmakers are being prevented from meeting their own citizens.

"We once again remind European countries: on April 16 the decision is to be made by the (Turkish nation), not Europe."

A police spokesman described Saturday's rally in Frankfurt as peaceful.

Bulgaria's PM says taking steps to prevent election meddling by Turkey.

Bulgaria's caretaker prime minister said on Friday he was taking steps to prevent any attempts by Turkey to influence an election next week in favour of a political party that represents Bulgarian Turks, the country's largest ethnic minority.

Last week, the government summoned Turkey's envoy to Sofia after reports that a Turkish minister had campaigned for the DOST party in Istanbul, where many Bulgarian citizens live. Late on Thursday, it also recalled its own ambassador to Turkey for consultations. "It is true that there is a certain tension linked with one of the political parties, which is receiving support from the Turkish state, but we are taking measures that this does not continue," caretaker premier Ognyan Gerdzhikov told reporters.

Bulgarians will vote in a snap parliamentary election on March 26.

Seeking to downplay the tensions with Bulgaria's southern neighbour, Gerdzhikov said Turkey had tried to influence other Bulgarian elections since the fall of communism 26 years ago, and "now, there is nothing that is a way different".

More than 400,000 Bulgarian nationals live in Turkey, most of them Bulgarian Turks descended from Ottoman-era Turkish settlers in the Balkans. Bulgarian Turks are estimated to be more than half a million of Bulgaria's 7.2 million population.

Recalling an ambassador for consultations is a way of protesting that stops short of suspending diplomatic relations.

The move by Bulgaria's interim government, which has limited powers, follows a row between Ankara and The Hague in the run-up to this week's Dutch election which saw Turkish ministers banned from holding rallies in the Netherlands.

"The interim government is concerned that Turkey may create tensions that go beyond the normal diplomatic process, as it happened in the Netherlands," said Vessela Tcherneva, Sofia-based analyst with the European Council on Foreign Relations.

"The problem is that if Turkey presses on, the Bulgarian nationalists may try to block the border to prevent Bulgarian citizens from Turkey crossing into the country to cast their ballots, and that will create a scandal."

Opinion polls suggest the nationalist coalition United Patriots will come third in a tight race for the Bulgarian parliament and play a key role in forming the next government. Support for the party has grown as a result of Europe's migrant crisis.

DOST, which split from the traditional ethnic Turkish MRF party last year, is not expected to pass the minimum threshold to win seats.

Bulgaria seeks to maintain good relations with Turkey, which it shares a 260 km border with and relies on to stem a possible increase in migrant inflows.

30,000 Kurds in Frankfurt anti-Erdogan protest.

That should have Erdogan chewing carpets.

A report published by the Turkish daily Yeni Akit on Friday claims that Aboutaleb has had close relations with the FETÖ network in the Netherlands. According to the daily, Aboutaleb has close contact with the FETÖ-affiliated former head of the Netherlands Young Businessman Association (HOGIAF), Mehmet Kabakyer, and other Gülenists, such as Zeki Baran and Mevlüt Çakı. In addition, Aboutaleb received strong financial backing from the terrorist group in his 2009 campaign. Also, Aboutaleb was brought to Turkey in 2012 where he visited FETÖ-affiliated institutions and nongovernmental organizations.

Abouteleb is of Moroccan descent, not Turkish. LL

I don't think Erdogan and his supporters pay much attention to concepts like truth and reality, LL - rabble rousers never do.

Turkey's referendum campaign unfair, Erdogan opponents say

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) March 19, 2017 — Opposition figures in Turkey say they have faced threats, violence, arbitrary detentions, a lack of TV airtime and even sabotage in the campaign for a referendum on expanding the president's powers.

The complaints come even as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself has slammed European countries for not letting his ministers campaign on their soil for the April 16 vote on giving his office more power.

Politicians campaigning against the constitutional changes proposed by Erdogan also say the state of emergency in Turkey since a failed coup attempt in July prevents them from getting their message out ahead of the vote.

"Those who advocate for a 'no' vote are faced with a series of obstructions," said Utku Cakirozer, a former journalist who is now a lawmaker for the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP. While he, too, criticized moves by Germany and the Netherlands to stop Turkish ministers from campaigning to Turkish citizens abroad, Cakirozer said "our democracy bar has been lowered a great deal and needs to be raised rapidly."

https://www.mail.com/int/news/europe/5048338-turkeys-referendum-campaign-unfair-erdogan-opponen.html#.1258-stage-hero1-2

Germany supports group behind Turkish coup attempt: Erdogan spokesman.

Turkey on Sunday accused Germany of supporting the network of a U.S.-based Muslim cleric it blames for last year's attempted coup, comments likely to aggravate a diplomatic feud between the two countries.

Germany and Turkey have been locked in a deepening row after Berlin banned some Turkish ministers from speaking to rallies of expatriate Turks ahead of a referendum next month, citing public safety concerns.

On Saturday, German news magazine Der Spiegel published an interview with the head of Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency, who said Ankara had failed to convince it that the cleric Fethullah Gulen was responsible for the coup attempt.

"Turkey has tried to convince us of that at every level but so far it has not succeeded," Bruno Kahl was quoted as saying.

President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said Kahl's comments were proof Germany was supporting Gulen's network, which Ankara refers to as the "Gulenist Terrorist Organisation" or "FETO".

"It's an effort to invalidate all the information we have given them on FETO. It's a sign of their support for FETO," Ibrahim Kalin told broadcaster CNN Turk.

"Why are they protecting them? Because these are useful instruments for Germany to use against Turkey."

There was no response from Germany to the comments.   More at link.

Ankara blames Gulen's network of followers in the military for the abortive putsch in July, when a group of rogue soldiers seized tanks, helicopters and war planes to attack parliament and attempt to overthrow the government. More than 240 people were killed in the coup attempt.

Gulen, a former Erdogan ally who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, has denied the charges and condemned the coup.

Kalin said there was a possibility Erdogan could plan a rally to address Turks in Germany before the April 16 referendum on changing the constitution, a move that would further heighten tensions with Berlin.

The constitutional change would give Erdogan sweeping new powers. Critics say it would give him too much power.

At a speech on Sunday in Istanbul, Erdogan lashed out against a Turkish-German journalist now in jail in Turkey, calling him a terrorist agent and adding "Thank God he has been arrested".

Erdogan, who was speaking at a meeting of an Islamic foundation, said the reporter, Deniz Yucel of Germany's Die Welt newspaper, would be tried by Turkey's independent judiciary.

Authorities arrested Yucel, a dual Turkish and German national, last month on charges of propaganda in support of a terrorist organization and inciting the public to violence.

He was initially detained after he reported on emails that a leftist hacker collective had purportedly obtained from the private account of Berat Albayrak, Turkey's energy minister and Erdogan's son-in-law.

There was no response from Germany to the comments.

I should think the German government is speechless....

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again compared Europe with the Nazis saying that they “would revive gas chambers” if they weren't ashamed. He also fired a personal broadside at Angela Merkel, accusing her of “Nazi practices.”

Europe’s “masquerade ball” is over, Erdogan said at yet another demonstration in Istanbul on Sunday, where he rallied support for a 'Yes' vote in Turkey's upcoming constitutional referendum.

Saying the “struggle” against his country has reached a new level, Erdogan slammed European nations, particularly Germany and the Netherlands, for their “Nazi regulations” as they revealed “the hatred they have accumulated for years against our country, our nation or even against all Muslims on TV screens and newspaper headlines every day.”

Erdogan then dropped the hammer, “If they weren’t ashamed, they would revive the gas chambers,” he added as quoted by the Hurriyet Daily News.

The Turkish president then turned his sights on the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "When we call them Nazis they [European politicians] get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said as cited by AFP.

“Merkel. She backs [the Netherlands] too. You too are practicing Nazi practices. To whom? To my Turkish brothers and sisters in Germany,” the Turkish leader also said as quoted by the AP. He used an informal form of “you” in Turkish.

Erdogan declared that the current policy of a number of European states is based on fear of Turkey’s power. “They [European states] do not have the urge to hide their intentions and cannot hide the discomfort they feel from Turkey, which is growing stronger," Erdogan said, as cited by Reuters.

The comments come as the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador to express Ankara's anger over a Kurdish rally held in Frankfurt on Saturday. The Turkish president’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also called Germany’s actions “a worst example of double standards.”

“The German ambassador was invited, summoned, to the Foreign Ministry and this [rally] was condemned in the strongest way,” he said as reported by Deutsche Welle.

The spokesperson added that the “scandalous” event in Frankfurt shows that European countries are in fact actively campaigning against Turkey's constitutional reform.

“It is unacceptable to see the symbols and slogans of the [outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party] PKK [at a rally in Frankfurt] while Turkish ministers and politicians are barred from meeting with their fellow citizens,” Kalin told in an interview to CNN Turk.

Around 30,000 Kurdish supporters took to the streets in Frankfurt on Saturday to denounce the Turkish president and the upcoming referendum which seeks to expand his presidential powers.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again compared Europe with the Nazis saying that they “would revive gas chambers” if they weren't ashamed. He also fired a personal broadside at Angela Merkel, accusing her of “Nazi practices.”

I am lost for words, LL.

How about a crusade to free Constantinople from this madman?

Denmark summons Turkish ambassador over informant fears.

Denmark’s foreign minister Anders Samuelsen is seeking clarification from the Turkish government after Danish citizens of Turkish extraction said they were concerned about being denounced to the Turkish government for treason.

Samuelsen said that Danish Turks being denounced to Turkish authorities for being critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was “in no way acceptable”.

Newspaper Berlingske reported on Sunday that several Danish-Turkish public figures feared being denounced to Turkish authorities as national traitors and terrorists.

Former MP and NGO founder Özlem Cekic told the newspaper that she had received a message on Facebook from a person that they would “report [Cekic] to the authorities in Turkey and hope that you are put on their clean-up list, so you get blacklisted”.

The Turkish ambassador has been summoned to a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

“This is completely unacceptable. In principle informing is the concern of the police,” Samuelsen told news agency Ritzau.

The minister said that the aim of the meeting would be to get “clarity over what they may or may not know about this issue”.

Summoning an ambassador is a normal step in diplomatic procedure.

The accusations of informing are not the first diplomatic obstacle faced by the two countries in recent times. Last week Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen requested that his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim postpone a planned visit after Turkish government representatives were barred from holding referendum campaign meetings in Germany and the Netherlands, to the fury of Erdogan and his government.

This lead to the nationalist Danish People’s Party questioning whether Denmark should allow dual citizenship, which was only introduced in the country in 2015.

Both Cekic and Social Democrat MP Lars Aslan Rasmussen have stated that they fear being informed on to the Turkish state, reports Ritzau.

“I fear being arrested. It happens to foreign citizens too, so having a burgundy-coloured passport does not make you safe,” Cekic said.

According to Berlingske, a media company in Turkey announced after last year’s failed coup a direct line to the President’s office.

The line was advertised as one through which people who supported the Gülen movement - accused by the Erdogan government of being behind the attempted coup - could be denounced.

Appalling.

Turkey scraps rallies in Germany before vote as row rages.

Turkey on Tuesday scrapped all future campaign appearances by its politicians in Germany ahead of April's referendum on expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers, amid a heated diplomatic row.

The sudden decision came after three weeks of furious exchanges between Turkey and the European Union over the pro-Erdogan rallies which have been banned in some of the bloc's member states.

"All future events that were planned have been cancelled. That is a decision that was made in Ankara," said a Cologne-based spokeswoman for Erdogan's AKP party.

https://www.thelocal.de/20170322/turkey-scraps-rallies-in-germany-before-vote-as-row-rages