Erdogan distracts from plummeting lira with call to boycott France
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused France’s Emmanuel Macron of pandering to anti-Muslim "fascists" in a desperate bid to bolster his electoral fortunes ahead of presidential elections in 2022, yet many would agree that Erdogan’s anti-Western tirades are designed to divert attention from his country’s mounting economic woes.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan escalated his anti-Europe salvos on Monday over the continent’s treatment of Muslims, calling it “racist terrorism” and drawing parallels with the genocide of Jews by the Nazis as the country’s embattled currency fell to record lows against the dollar.
"Especially across European countries, we see that hostility to Islam and Muslims spread through societies like the plague. Places of business, houses, places of worship and schools that belong to Muslims are attacked by racists and fascist groups almost every day," Erdogan said.
Erdogan accused France’s Emmanuel Macron of “leading the campaign of hatred.” Europe needs to tell the French president to “stop” and Turkish citizens must boycott all French goods, Erdogan thundered during a speech peppered with Quranic verses to mark the launch of Prophet Mohammed Week, organized by Turkey’s state-run Religious Affairs Directorate.
His calls for a boycott came as Turkish Airlines was poised to take delivery of its first Airbus A350. The jets are manufactured by a French-led European consortium. “What do they do with the plane? Chuck it in the Bosporus?” mused Brussels-based journalist Sam Morgan.
