Skip to main content

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.
A man holds a picture of Macron with a shoe print on it as Turkish protesters shout slogans against France during a demonstration against French President's comments over Prophet Muhammad cartoons, in Istanbul, on October 25, 2020. - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 25, 2020 renewed his call for his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to undergo mental checks, a day after his comments prompted Paris to recall its envoy to Ankara. Macron's comments, on October 21, 2020, came in response to th

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.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.