Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister, Omer Celik, called Germany’s decision “an utter backsliding in freedom of speech and democracy”, and Erdogan said it’s “shameful” that leaders of fellow North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries have declined to visit Turkey after the attempted coup and have seemed more concerned with the fate of militaryorganizers than with the country’s stability. “Such a shame to see that European Union failed in upholding democracy and showing solidarity with a candidate country in the face of a coup threat”.
Advertisement
On Saturday, courts released 800 military conscripts arrested in the coup probe.
“We are curious about the real reason why the German authorities and the constitutional court banned President Erdogan’s message and hope that the German authorities will provide a satisfactory explanation”.
Aug 1, 2016- Tens of thousands of people in Germany have turned out in support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a rally that raised diplomatic tensions. Turkey has demanded that the USA extradite the 75-year old Gulen, who lives in a mountain compound in the eastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Germany is home to roughly 3 million people with Turkish roots and as Sunday’s rally got underway, organizers played the Turkish and German national anthems and held a minute of silence for people killed in the attempted coup.
Erdogan supporters rally in Cologne. Several counter-demonstrations were also planned, including one called “Stop Erdogan”. It also shuts down military schools, establishes a new national defense university, puts the force commanders directly under the defense ministry and announces the discharge of 1,389 military personnel. Turkey’s Western allies condemned the attempted couph, but have been rattled by the scale of the resulting crackdown.
Mr Erdogan, who narrowly escaped capture and possible death on the night of the coup, said in an interview on July 21 the military – NATO’s second-biggest – needed “fresh blood”.
Police put some 2,700 officers in place to prevent any trouble.
On Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Turkey should show proportionality in its pursuit of those behind the failed military coup, adding that she was following developments in the country with concern.
Gulen has denied all charges against him, and Erdogan’s critics suggest the president is using his crusade against the elderly exile as a cover for policies aimed at quashing all dissent.
Erdogan – who says a group within the military acted on the orders of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen – has also said he will bring the country’s spy agency and military chief of staff directly under his control.
Advertisement
“If things do not return to normal in the state of emergency then like France we could extend it”, Erdogan said, referring to a similar move in France after a string of attacks there.
