The list of points of contention between Paris and Ankara is long.
After a verbal attack by Erdogan against Macron, France responded with an unprecedented measure.
In France, a teacher was murdered after showing cartoons of Mohammed in class.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shot hard at Emmanuel Macron.
Meanwhile, Arab countries are reacting with a boycott of France - Macron reacts clearly.
Update from October 26th, 2:50 p.m.:
The
federal government
of Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has
condemned
statements by Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
about French President Emmanuel Macron.
"These are defamatory statements that are completely unacceptable," said
government spokesman Steffen Seibert
on Monday in Berlin.
Erdogan had previously sharply criticized Macron and called for a boycott of French goods.
This assessment applies “especially against the background of the murder of an Islamist fanatic” of the
French teacher Samuel Paty
, he said.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office pointed out that Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) had also expressed “great understanding” for Macron's position.
Maas had also described Erdogan's remarks as "completely unacceptable".
Meanwhile, Turkey is feeling the harsh economic effects of the boycott call: the
decline in the value of the Turkish currency
continues unchecked.
On Monday, after Erdogan's threats in trading with the US dollar and the euro, the lira hit record lows.
For the first time,
more than eight lira
had to be paid
for one dollar
.
The worsening of the tense relationship with trading partners in the EU is likely to be an important reason for the continued decline.
Boycott against France: Erdogan also calls for participation - Maas speaks out
Update from October 26th, 1.40 p.m.:
Following the announcements by
Jordan
,
Kuwait
and
Qatar
that they will be removing French goods from their range,
Turkey
is now also
participating in the planned
boycott
.
"Just as
some
in
France
say 'don't buy Turkish brands', I address myself to my nation: Don't pay attention to goods labeled in French, don't buy them," said Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
on Monday.
The reason for the
boycott
are statements by French President Emmanuel Macron that are critical of Islam.
The German
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas
(SPD) has now also intervened in the conflict between France and
Turkey
.
Maas described the Erdogan attacks as a “new low point”.
In the fight against Islamist extremists, Germany stands “in solidarity with
France,
” stressed Maas on Monday in Berlin.
The Turkish President had described
Macron,
among other things, as an illness that had to be examined.
According to Macron statements: Arab countries call for a boycott of French goods
Update from October 26, 9:50 a.m.:
After statements by
French President Emmanuel Macron
, a new dispute is looming over
caricatures of the Islamic prophet Mohammed
.
Several
Arab countries
began
boycotts against France
on Sunday
.
Traders in Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar took French goods from their stores.
The Moroccan Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the continued publication of the "hideous cartoons".
Under no circumstances can freedom of expression justify an insult to Islam.
France called for an immediate end to the calls for boycotts.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan accused Macron of Islamophobia in a series of tweets.
"President Macron has attacked and hurt the feelings of millions of Muslims in Europe and around the world," he also wrote.
Khan also called for a
ban on Islamophobic content on Facebook
.
The government in Islamabad published a letter to this effect on Sunday evening addressed to the company's founder and boss
Mark Zuckerberg
.
The Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the publication of satirical cartoons depicting the Prophet.
Such behavior "damages the Muslim-French relations".
The
Grand Imam of Cairo
, Ahmed al-Tajib, spoke of a systematic campaign to force Islam into political struggles.
The background is Macron's statements from Wednesday.
He had
defended
freedom of expression
and sided with those who want to show or publish caricatures.
France will not "do without caricatures and drawings, even if others withdraw," said Macron at a
memorial service in honor of the slain teacher Samuel Paty
.
He had shown Mohammed cartoons in class and was beheaded in the street.
Islamic tradition forbids depicting the prophet.
We will not give in, ever.
We respect all differences in a spirit of peace.
We do not accept hate speech and defend reasonable debate.
We will always be on the side of human dignity and universal values.
- Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 25, 2020
Macron defended his position on freedom of expression on Twitter on Sunday evening.
Hate speech is not accepted
and the reasonable debate is defended.
“We will always stand on the side of human dignity and basic values.” Macron also spread the
message in Arabic and English
.
“Our story is that of the fight against tyranny and fanaticism.
We'll continue, ”he wrote in French.
How to deal with Islamism was recently debated in Germany.
SPD Vice Kevin Kühnert also took “the political left” into duty.
Erdogan versus Macron: Turkish President adds further insult
Update from October 25, 3:37 p.m
.: After the accusation of
Islamophobia
(see initial report below), the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
again sharply attacked
the French head of state
Emmanuel Macron
.
Macron is a case of
illness
and must be examined, said Erdogan on Sunday in Maltaya, Eastern Anatolia.
On Saturday he had questioned Macron's mental health and accused him of hostility towards Islam.
In response, France has called its ambassador from Ankara back for consultations.
The
“person” at the top of France
dealt with Erdogan from morning to evening, the Turkish president mocked.
Erdogan also criticized the Dutch
right-wing populist Geerd Wilders
without
giving
his name.
Erdogan spoke of a Dutch “caricature of an MP” and warned: “Know your limits, know your limits!” Wilders had previously
shared
a
caricature of Erdogan
on Twitter
showing the Turkish president with a turban in the form of a bomb on his head.
Wilder's "Terrorist" wrote about it.
After a teacher beheaded in Paris: Erdogan insults Macron badly - he draws unprecedented consequences
+
After an insult by Erdogan against Macron, France draws consequences (symbol image)
© Ludovic Marin / Pool / AFP
First report from October 25, 11:51 a.m
.: Ankara / Paris - The list of points of dispute between
Paris and Ankara
is long.
The countries have been seething for months.
After a new
verbal
attack
by Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
against the French head of state
Emmanuel Macron,
France is now drawing unprecedented consequences.
Dispute between Ankara and Paris: France calls ambassador back
For the first time, France has called its
ambassador
in Ankara back for consultations.
The behavior of Turkey is unacceptable, said French Foreign Minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian
on Sunday.
The French ambassador was due to return to Paris on Sunday.
As
Élysée circles
confirmed, there has never been a case like this before.
On Saturday Erdogan had raged at a congress of his party AKP in Kayseri (Central Anatolia) against "worrying signs of growing
Islamophobia
in Europe" - and named as an example Emmanuel Macron, who became involved in radical Islamism a week ago after the decapitation of the teacher Samuel Paty France had declared war.
Paty was killed by an 18-year-old with Russian-Chechen roots after
showing
caricatures of the
Prophet Mohammed
in class.
After teacher was beheaded in Paris: Turkey did not condemn the crime
From the Turkish side there was no official condemnation of the act or
solidarity
with France, as stated in a message from the Foreign Ministry.
In the past few days "hateful and slanderous
propaganda
against France" had been added.
There is a desire to stir up hatred against France, said Le Drian.
This was also expressed in the direct insults against Macron from "the highest level of the Turkish state".
Macron promotes an Islam that is
“compatible
with the values of the
republic
”.
The strict
separation of church and state
is a fundamental principle of the French constitution.
“What kind of problem does this person named Macron have with Islam and Muslims?” Erdogan asked at the event on Saturday.
Macron should be in psychological treatment, added the Turkish president.
His French counterpart
does not
understand
freedom of belief
.
France is recalling its ambassador in Ankara after Turkish President Erdogan criticized Macron's policy toward Islam and said the French president needed “mental treatment” https://t.co/57GV0HEj5k
- Bloomberg (@business) October 24, 2020
Berlin mosque searched: Erdogan criticizes police raid
Erdogan also criticized a
police raid
on a Berlin mosque.
On Wednesday about 150 police officers searched several companies and a mosque in the German capital on suspicion of corona subsidy fraud.
Erdogan had previously described the process on Twitter as racist and Islamophobic.
Verbal attacks Erdogan against Macron are not necessarily new.
Last November, the Turkish president had already questioned the Frenchman's mental health.
At that time, Macron had
attested “brain death” to the
NATO
defense alliance
.
Erdogan then said that Macron should have his own brain death examined.
Dispute between France and Turkey: criticism of meddling in Nagorno-Karabakh
The list of points of contention between France and Turkey is getting longer: Among other things, Macron had
sent
additional
warships
to the eastern Mediterranean
in the sea area dispute between the EU countries Greece and Cyprus on the one hand and Turkey on the other to symbolically support Greece
and openly shown for additional Turkey sanctions.
France had also sharply criticized Turkey's interference in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Azerbaijan can refer
to its "brother state" Turkey
in the conflict with
Armenia
over the South Caucasus region, which has been disputed between the two countries for decades.
(came / dpa)
List of rubric lists: © OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP