SOMA, Turkey (WJC) — Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan screamed an anti-Israeli slur at a Turkish citizen during protests against him in the city of Soma, where earlier this week nearly 300 coal workers were killed when a mine collapsed.
Video footage of Erdoğan being surrounded by angry protesters show him insulting a protestor with the words: “Why are you running away from me, Israeli sperm?” In Turkish, this is a widely used slur.
In the footage of the incident published online, the embattled Turkish leader is seen surrounded by security personnel who proceeded to beat the man following the incident. Erdoğan has come under heavy criticism following the mining accident for not supporting social security benefits for miners and for failing to require coal mining companies to use updated equipment, which might had saved many lives.
Late last year, a group of Erdoğan’s supporters shouted “are you Jewish” as they attacked a woman as she was walking in the streets of Istanbul, according to a report. The woman posted pictures on Twitter which showed bruises on her face and body, according to the ‘Algemeiner’ news website.
Erdoğan and his allies have also blamed “international groups” and the “Jewish Diaspora” for unrest that rocked the country last year.
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Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress
I am ashamed of having a prime minister who said “Israil spawn”. I hope the citizens of the State of Israel would accept my deepest apologies for the hate discourse directed against Israeli people by Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan. I apologize to all Jewish people. What Mr.Erdoğan said is unacceptable for the great majority of Turkish people.
Because of the mine catastrophe in Soma that killed more than 300 miners and upcoming presidential elections in Turkey, Turkey’s Prime Minister can not keep calm. However Turkey’s Prime Minister has never hesitate to call Zionism as a kind of facism. I should point to the fact that there has never been a hate between the people of Turkey and Isael. Since a 2010 Israeli commando radi on a Gaza-bound flotilla of aid ships left 9 Turkish Islamist activists dead, Turkish people did not stand behind Turkish Islamist activists except the Prime Minister and the followers of him. Turkish people has demanded the normalization of the official relations between Turkey and Israel since 2010. I should underline that as a Muslim academician,the hate of the Prime Minister does not represent the ideas of whole Turkish nation. I should underline that many Muslim males in Turkey carry the name of Prophet Jacob ( in Turkish as Yakup).
Turkish citizens know that Israel has offered to help in the search for miners and Israel President Shimon Peres sent his condolences to Turkey’s President Abdullah Gül. Turkish citizens have always been proud of 19 Turkish diplomats who risked their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust during World War II. Turkish diplomats whose names are Necdet Kent, Behiç Erkin, Firuzan Selçuk, Cemal Özkaya, Saffet Arıkan, Pertev Şevki Kantemir, Abdülhalat Birden, Kudret Erbey, Galip Evren, Fuat Aktan, Ragıp Rauf Arman, Bedii Arbel, Mehmet Fuat Carim, Cevdet Dülger, Fikret Şefik Özdoğancı, Namık Kemal Yolga, İrfan Sabit Akça, Selahattin Ülkümen, Burhan Işık risked their lives to save Jewish people during World War II and I wish Jewish people would remember this little-known chapter of Holocaust history.
I am a Muslim Turkish academician. I would like to say that Turkish Republic is not owned only by the Prime Minister. I am a shareholder in Turkish Republic holding a Turkish passport and I feel responsible myself as a Turkish citizen to apologize to all Jewish people.
I hope Jewish people in Israel believe in my sincerity and accept my apology.
May 17,2014
Diren Çakmak
TURKEY
I am certain that I speak for the overwhelming majority of San Diego Jewish World‘s readers when I say that I am heartened by your kind words. We too value the friendship between the Turkish and the Jewish peoples and we understand that a leader’s angry sentiments are not always reflective of the opinions of the people he or she represents. Thank you for writing, and please accept warmest wishes.
Very sincerely, Donald H. Harrison, editor, San Diego Jewish World
Although what this PM used was a very anti-Semitic and inexcusably demonic phrase, I do have to make a correction here:
“Israeli Spawn” or “Israeli Sperm” as he put it out kindly is not a curse word by itself. Spawn is added to and degrading thing to make it sound a lot loss horrible curse word, like Dog’s spawn, donkey’s spawn…Israeli Spawn is not a very widely used curse word as I had not heard it before living in Turkey I might add. Nevertheless, this actually makes this a lot more interesting and scary that he was so freely and rapidly used it as a response to a threat. This makes me believe that his entourage is widely anti-Semitic and probably use this phrase a lot among themselves towards Jews and pro-Israelis as well as all his opponents. This means that I also am an Israeli Spawn (and deeply honored).
Anyway, I truly apologize from Israeli folks out there for this…We also are dealing with menace here…Please do not think that all Turks share his anti-Semitic and racist opinions.