Turkish President Erdoğan faces protest over Gaza during speech

A protester has interrupted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his speech about Gaza, accusing him of breaching the trade embargo imposed upon Israel. Erdoğan firmly dismissed the protester, accusing her of being a "mouthpiece of Zionists."

Saturday November 30 2024 06:04 pm

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Erdoğan'ın konuşması sırasında 'İsrail ile ticaret' protestosu: Yavrum Siyonistlerin dili ağzı olma pic.twitter.com/8m63DNsSMv
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A protester on Nov. 29 interrupted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his speech at the TRT World Forum 2024 opening ceremony in the capital Ankara province.

The protester shouted, “Zionists are carrying out activities in our seas and ports… Ships are carrying bombs to Gaza,” while Erdoğan spoke on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The President firmly censured the protester by saying, “My dear, don’t be a mouthpiece for the Zionists. No matter how much you try to provoke this space by becoming the voice, eyes, and mouth of Zionists, you will not succeed. The Zionists of the world know very well where Tayyip Erdoğan stands, but you still haven’t understood.”

Referring to Israel’s attacks on Gaza, Erdoğan stated, “Gaza has questioned not only human values but also the credibility of the international system.”

He continued, “The pain of Gazans and Lebanese is our pain. Standing with the oppressor means sharing their tyranny. As Turkey, with our state and people, we raise our voice against the atrocities in Gaza.”

In May, Turkey announced cutting all imports and exports with Israel due to the “worsening tragedy” in Gaza. However, Ankara has faced public criticism that trade may be continuing with Israel given a spike in exports to the Palestinian territories since the ban in May.

Researchers from the Stop Fuelling Genocide campaign in November revealed that Turkey breached its trade embargo by shipping crude oil directly from Ceyhan Port located in the southern Adana province to Ashkelon, Israel.