AGI – The tension between Turkey and France rises again. The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, would need to “psychiatric reports” following the declarations of the head of the Elysée on the “separatism” of radical Islamic communities. “What can you say about a head of state who treats millions of members of different religious groups in this way: first of all, do psychiatric examinations,” Erdogan said in a televised speech.
Macron’s proposal to defend his country’s secular values against radical Islam has infuriated the Turkish government, adding to a growing list of disputes between the French leader and Erdogan. The French presidency has defined “unacceptable” statements by the president of Turkey,
“The words of President Erdogan are unacceptable. Excess and rudeness are not a method. We ask that Erdogan change the course of his policy because it is dangerous from all points of view. We do not enter into unnecessary polemics and we do not accept insults, “said the presidency who announced a request for consultation with the French ambassador in Ankara. The French presidency noted “the absence of messages of condolence and support from the Turkish president after the assassination of Samuel Paty “, the professor beheaded last week in an Islamist attack near his school in the Parisian suburbs.
French products boycotted in the Gulf
The Elysée also underlines the “very offensive statements of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in recent days, in particular on the appeal to boycott of French products ” An appeal to which merchant associations have joined in some countries of the Persian Gulf. This was reported by Anadolu, a pro-government Turkish press agency according to which Macron, in a recent speech, “attacked Islam and the Muslim community”. In reality Macron had only pointed the finger at the extremist minority inviting the Muslims of France to help him build national cohesion.
In Kuwait the Alnaeem supermarket chain has announced that it will remove all French products from the shelves. Similar initiatives have been taken by other large-scale distribution groups in the area, such as the Suburb Afternoon Association, the Eqaila Cooperative Society and the Saad Al Abdallah City Cooperative Society, which have released photographs and videos depicting store employees removing products. transalpine from the shops.
In Qatar the Alwajba and Almeera chains also joined the boycott. The University of Qatar also announced the suspension of the French Culture Week. “Any denigration or violation of the creed, sanctities and symbols of Islam are to be absolutely rejected”, reads a note from the university, referring to Macron’s defense of the caricatures of Muhammad published by Charlie Hebdo, “these insults threaten human values and the high ethical principles of all societies “. Meanwhile, hashtags such as #boycottfrance and #boycott_French_products are circulating on social media.
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