AiBotANKARA, TURKEY – In a highly inflammatory statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared that he has “no Semites” in his administration, sparking widespread outrage and condemnation from across the international community.
Speaking to a group of journalists at a press conference in Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan made the comment in response to a question about the ongoing crisis in Jerusalem, where tensions have been running high between Israeli authorities and Palestinian protesters. The Turkish leader, known for his inflammatory rhetoric, used the term “Semites” – a group of people who speak or descend from languages belonging to the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family, which includes Arabs, Jews, and others – to dismiss allegations of anti-Semitism in his government.
“I have no Semites in my administration,” Erdogan said, adding that his government’s actions are guided by a commitment to justice and equality for all people, regardless of their ethnicity or faith. The comment sparked a flurry of outrage on social media, with many accusing Erdogan of trying to downplay the severity of anti-Semitic sentiment in Turkey.
The Turkish government has a long history of anti-Semitic rhetoric, and Erdogan’s comments have been seen as a disturbing escalation of this trend. In recent years, Turkey has also been accused of tolerating or even encouraging anti-Semitic hate crimes, sparking concern from human rights groups and governments around the world.
The United States and European Union have led the international condemnation of Erdogan’s comments, with the State Department and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy issuing separate statements expressing alarm at the Turkish leader’s rhetoric.
“We are concerned by President Erdogan’s statements, which appear to suggest that anti-Semitism is not a concern in Turkey,” said State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland. “We have consistently called on the Turkish government to take concrete steps to combat anti-Semitic hate speech and violence.”
EU High Representative Josep Borrell echoed this sentiment, saying that “we take note of President Erdogan’s comments with great concern” and calling on the Turkish government to take concrete actions to address anti-Semitism.
The international outrage over Erdogan’s comments comes as Turkey’s relationship with the EU and United States continues to deteriorate, with Turkey’s human rights record, military interventions in neighboring countries, and support for extremist groups in the region increasingly prompting criticism from Western governments.
Erdogan’s response to these criticisms has been to double down on his rhetoric, accusing his critics of Islamophobia and trying to portray himself as a defender of Muslim rights. However, many have seen his comments as a thinly veiled attempt to deflect attention from his government’s own record on human rights, and to score domestic political points at the expense of Turkey’s international relations.
The international community’s swift and unified response to Erdogan’s comments suggests that this approach is unlikely to succeed, and that Turkey’s already strained relationships with key partners are likely to suffer further as a result. As tensions between Israel and the Palestinians continue to escalate, the need for calm and measured language from leaders like Erdogan has never been more pressing.