Erdogan calls Turkey’s teachers 'looters' amid protests, calls for exam boycott
Turkey's president has called protesting teachers "looters," a derogative reminiscent of the 2013 Gezi protests.
ISTANBUL — Teachers have become the latest professional group to draw the ire of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a demonstration in Ankara that ended in a violent police reaction.
Responding Thursday to calls for teachers to boycott professional exams due to be introduced in November, Erdogan described the move as a “malicious attempt to use our teachers as political material.”
Teachers unions and main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu have backed a boycott of the exams, which they say are unnecessary and an added burden to staff.
“Are you an architect of education or are you one of those who walk around as a looter?” Erdogan asked a teachers’ appointment ceremony in Ankara. “We need teachers who will mingle with our children, not those who wander the avenues and streets.”
