Erdoğan insults of Macron 'unacceptable,' 'a new low point,' say European politicians
European politicians have said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's comments on French President Emmanuel Macron are “unacceptable” and they mark "a new low point" for Ankara. Erdoğan said on Oct. 24 Macron had a problem with Muslims and needed checks on his mental health – a rebuke that caused France to recall its ambassador from Ankara.
Duvar English
European politicians have slammed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over his remarks suggesting that French President Emmanuel Macron needed a “mental health check” over his rhetoric on Islam and Muslims.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have described Erdoğan's statements against Macron as “unacceptable,” with Maas further saying that they mark a “new low point” for Ankara.
"We also stand in solidarity with France, also in relation to the personal attacks of President Erdogan against President Macron. I think these are a new low point, and they are completely unacceptable," Maas told reporters during a press conference on Oct. 26.
Maas also said that the German government was standing in solidarity with its European neighbor in the "fight against Islamist extremism."
As for Rutte, he tweeted that Erdoğan's words addressing President Emmanuel Macron are "unacceptable" and the Netherlands stands firmly with France and the collective values of the European Union.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has similarly expressed his support for Macron, saying that Erdoğan's words fuel "religious hatred and undermines peaceful coexistence."
Erdoğan said on Oct. 24 Macron had a problem with Muslims and needed checks on his mental health – a rebuke that caused France to recall its ambassador from Ankara.
“What is the problem of this person called Macron with Muslims and Islam? Macron needs treatment on a mental level,” Erdoğan said in a speech in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri.
Erdoğan made similar comments the next day and again on Oct. 26.
Macron has pledged to fight “Islamist separatism,” saying it was threatening to take over some Muslim communities in France. The country has since been shaken by the beheading of a teacher by an Islamist militant, avenging the use of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in a class on freedom of expression.