Turkish PM Erdogan is Dr Jeykll Mr Hyde of Politics!

Turkish PM’s visit to Finland and Sweden was followed with big interest both by Finnish and Swedish media, paying the biggest attention to the latest discriminatory statements of Erdogan.

 

Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Finland and Sweden was followed with big interest both in Finnish and Swedish media, and while the politicians were congratulating Erdoğan of the progress the country has made, the media was paying attention to the latest statements of the Turkish prime minister. Protest were made both in Stockholm and Helsinki during the visit, although the number of demonstrators remained low.

 

When Erdoğan was visiting a concert hall in Helsinki a woman with Turkish background was holding a protest sign was raising her voice to speak about the unemployment situation in Turkey. According to the witnesses Erdoğan’s safety guards quickly silenced the woman and exported her from the hall. There were also some protesters in front of the hotel where Erdoğan was staying.

 

Erdoğans concern on  female- and male students living together gained a lot of publicity in Finnish media during his visit. In a press conference in Helsinki Erdoğan was asked about whether this was true. Erdoğan replied: ‘I think somebody made you ask this question. We have never intervened in people’s private lives. If we had, not every second Turkish would be voting for us.’ Despite of this he also stated that ‘there are acceptable- and non-acceptable lifestyles’. Stating people what is acceptable is therefore not considered as intervening their lives.

 

According to columnist Ayla Albayrak, Kauppalehti, the Turkish journalists are afraid to ask direct questions and how self-censorship has shot down the mainstream media in Turkey. She also criticized that state intervening in people’s life was in fact the reason for the events of Gezi-park.

 

Erdoğan is not only concerned in the moral of Turkish youth, he is also worrying about the state of the Finnish children. Especially he expressed his concern over the famous brand Angry Birds asking why they are so angry, and stating that this has a negative influence on children. The director of Angry Birds, Mikael Hed, replied that the birds are angry because their eggs have been stolen and that so far the angriness of the birds was not perceived to have any negative influence on children.

 

According to Dagens Nyheter, the largest independent newspaper in Sweden, it was not a coincidence that Erdoğan decided to visit the country now. Sweden is one of the most positive countries towards Turkey joining the European Union. Despite that, parliamentarian Mats Johansson stated in the newspaper that Ankara seems to be using more Russia than EU as its source for inspiration when it comes to freedom of expression and ‘the authoritarian atmosphere in Turkish governance. Just like Putin Erdoğan intends to replace the president after his period as prime minister.

 

Sweden’s largest newspaper, Aftonbladet, called Erdoğan ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ of politics who has two faces - one that wants to modernize Turkey and another that is imprisoning journalists and demonstrators. The same newspaper was accusing Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt of ‘cuddling with Erdoğan despite the fact that Turkey has worse press freedom than Russia’.

 

Reinfeldt stated that if there will be voting in the member states on whether they want Turkey to join the Union or not. He was convinced that Sweden will be saying ‘ja’ for the membership.

http://www.dn.se/debatt/erdogan-styr-med-samma-metoder-som-kemalisterna/

http://fifi.voima.fi/blogikirjoitus/2013/marraskuu/paaministeri-kodissasi

http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/a1383711952002

http://www.hs.fi/ulkomaat/a1383792015219

http://www.taloussanomat.fi/ihmiset/2013/11/09/erdogan-ja-arsyttavat-suomalaiskysymykset/201315607/139