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– We will not give in to destabilization and attempted threats, says a French government spokesman, Gabriel Attal.
France’s European minister has accused Erdogan of “provocations” and is threatening sanctions.
“We will push for a strict European response, which may include sanctions,” Clement Beaune said Wednesday.
Krass Tone
Relations between France and Turkey have long been tense and the tone between the two NATO allies has been harsh in both the Libyan conflict, Turkish oil exploration in the Mediterranean, and most recently the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Earlier this month, Macron also harshly criticized Islam, which he described as a religion in deep crisis throughout the world. It sparked strong protests in several Muslim countries, including Turkey.
Killer Master
With the assassination of French teacher Samuel Paty in Paris on October 16, the war of words between France and Turkey escalated further.
Paty was killed and mutilated by an 18-year-old Chechen after showing students a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad, printed in the satire magazine Charlie Hebdo. This prompted fresh criticism of Islam from Macron.
Erdogan, for his part, claimed that Macron should undergo a psychiatric examination, prompting France to withdraw its ambassador from Ankara.
Erdogan Cartoon
A cartoon of Erdogan on the cover of the latest issue of Charlie Hebdo, in which the Turkish president wears a T-shirt and boxer shorts, drinks beer and lifts up his skirt and shows the bare buttocks of a woman wearing a hijab, has helped sharpen the tone. additional.
Turkey accuses the French magazine of satire of “cultural racism”, claims the drawing is proof that Macron’s anti-Muslim agenda has paid off and warns of legal and diplomatic measures.
“I am saddened and frustrated, not by the attack on me, but by the rudeness of targeting the prophet we love more than ourselves,” said Erdogan, who accuses western countries, led by France, of embarking on a new crusade. . .