Turkish consulate in Rotterdam urges Dutch Turks to report Erdogan insults

[Palinurus]

Source: _http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/04/turkish-consulate-urges-dutch-turks-to-report-erdogan-insults/

Turkish consulate urges Dutch Turks to report Erdogan insults

April 21, 2016

The Turkish consulate in Rotterdam has urged Turkish nationals to report examples of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan being insulted and denigrating comments made about Turks in general, Dutch media say on Thursday afternoon.

Various Turkish organizations in the Netherlands have been emailed by the consulate, urging them to make a note of the insults. The call comes a day after the Dutch government said it would scrap legislation which makes insulting a friendly head of state a criminal offense.

The consulate is looking for social media posts which incite hatred or contain insulting comments as well as email and traditional letters, Dutch Turkish news site Zaman Vandaag says.

The consulate was not available for comment but a spokesman for the Turkish embassy in The Hague told RTL news that a hate campaign had been launched against Turkey since it emerged that a German comedian faces prosecution for insulting Erdogan.

‘We want to monitor the situation,’ the embassy said. In some emails received by the embassy, Erdogan has been compared to Hitler, RTL says. In others, Turks are urged to leave the Netherlands as soon as possible.

Parliament

MPs have raised questions about what they are calling unwanted interference in Dutch affairs. Socialist MP Sadet Karabulut said the call was a sign of Erdogan’s ‘long arm of influence’ in the Netherlands.

Joram van Klaveren, from the right-wing VNL, said the consul should be called to The Hague to explain. ‘Turkey needs to be reminded of the right to freedom of speech, considering some 2,000 Turks are being prosecuted for insulting the president,’ he said.

In Germany, Turkey has been given the green light to take legal action against Jan Böhmermann, a comedian who read out an offensive poem about Erdogan on television.

Source: _http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/04/21/turkey-wants-dutch-turkish-report-insult-erdogan/

Turkey wants Dutch Turkish to report those who insult Erdogan

Posted on Apr 21, 2016 by Janene Pieters

Dutch politicians are outraged by a letter sent out by Turkey’s consulate in Rotterdam calling for Turkish organizations to report people who insult the country’s leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The head of state is targeting thousands of people in Turkey for prosecution, accused of insulting him, while the Dutch parliament is moving to end a ban criminalizing any affront to a friendly nation’s leader.

The email called on various Turkish organizations in the Netherlands to report insults directed at Erdogan, Turkey and the Turkish people. Reports should be sent to that same email address until Thursday.

The SP is demanding a debate on the matter. Parliamentarian Sade Karabulut labeled the email “Erdogan’s long arm in the Netherlands”, according to the Volkskrant. The SP MP called the email unacceptable, unwanted interference and influence.

A parliamentary majority supported her call for a debate, though it hasn’t been scheduled yet.

Independent parliamentarians Louis Bontes and Joram van Klaveren demand that the Government takes measures to ensure that the Turkish government stops “this disturbing interference”.

The Dutch department of Turkish opposition party CHP received numerous calls from concerned people on Thursday, chairman Axu Ozalp said to the Volkskrant. “People are afraid because they once responded to something critical on Facebook or Twitter for example. They worry about whether they can still go on holiday to Turkey with peace of mind or will they be stopped at the border”, Ozalp said. “This is very worrying and we therefore also emphatically disapprove of this call.”

The Turkish Workers Association in the Netherlands expressed a similar opinion and called on all Turks in the Netherlands to show their disapproval by flooding that email address with protest emails.

 

[Palinurus]

Source: _http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/04/turkish-consulate-email-was-misunderstanding-but-hate-mail-has-surged/

Turkish email was ‘misunderstanding’ but hate mail has surged

April 22, 2016

The Turkish consulate in Rotterdam has written a second letter to Turkish organizations in the Netherlands, saying the call to report insults to president Recep Tayyip Erdogan was based on a misunderstanding.

On Thursday Dutch media reported that various Turkish organizations in the Netherlands had been emailed by the consulate, urging them to make a note of the insults. The call came a day after the Dutch government said it would scrap legislation which makes insulting a friendly head of state a criminal offense.

The consulate said on Thursday evening that the original email had been clumsily worded by its writer and this had led people to wrongly interpret it. But if people notice that hate campaigns are being waged against Dutch-Turkish nationals, they can let the consulate know, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Volkskrant reports that the Turkish embassy in The Hague has noted a surge in hate mail in recent days.

Hate mail

Press attache Emrullah Cuma Akgündüz told the paper hate mail is not new, but that there has been ‘a considerable increase’ since the Böhmermann case in Germany. Turkey has been given the green light to take legal action against Jan Böhmermann, a comedian who read out an offensive poem about Erdogan on German television.

Turkey has no plans to make similar complaints in the Netherlands, Akgündüz told the Volkskrant, but could not explain why this was the case.

The diplomat did show the paper a selection of emails describing Erdogan as ‘a fascist like Hitler’, ‘fucking faggot’ who deserved to be killed and a ‘goat-fucking pig’.

Diplomatic job

The call by the consulates to report insults is simply meant to monitor the situation in the Netherlands, Akgündüz said. ‘This is what embassies do all over the world. It is our job,’ the diplomat told the paper.

MPs have called for a debate on the Turkish consulate's email in the near future. In addition, the Netherlands has made a formal protest to Ankara about the email, foreign minister Bert Koenders said.

Source: _http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/04/22/dutch-mps-press-turkish-consulate-over-erdogan-insults-issue/

Dutch MPs press Turkish consulate over Erdogan insults issue

Posted on Apr 22, 2016 by Janene Pieters

The Turkish consulate in Rotterdam stated on Thursday night that an email sent to Turkish-Dutch asking them to report incidents in which Turkey or its president are insulted, was a misunderstanding caused by an employee that made a mistake. A majority in parliament finds this explanation insufficient and are demanding further clarification, NOS reports.

According to the consulate, one of its employees made the wrong word choices in the email, giving the impression that Turkish-Dutch are called on to report insults. The call was not their intention.

Ruling coalition VVD and PvdA and opposition parties CDA, SP and D66 don’t believe that explanation. They are calling for further clarification. “It is not credible to me. The call came from the consulate and it was widely distributed”, SP parliamentarian Sadet Karabulut said tot he broadcaster. PvdA parliamentarian Marit Maij also can’t believe that the mail was an accident. “It is good that the government will request clarification from the Turkish authorities.”

Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday that he will make inquiry with the Turkish authorities. As things stands now, this is still his intention.

Turkey is not planning to press charges of insult and defamation in the Netherlands, despite a sharp increase in the number of “hate mail” the Turkish Embassy in The Hague is receiving, press officer Emrullah Cuma Akgunduz said to the Volkskrant. He did not give a reason for why no charges are being pressed.

According to him, hate mail to the embassy increased sharply following German comedian John Bohmermann being prosecuted for insulting Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Over the past few weeks Erdogan was described as a “fascist like Hitler” and a “fucking faggot” that must be killed, in emails the embassy received.

Source: _http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/04/22/comedian-hans-teeuwen-may-charged-erdogan-insults-attorney/

Comedian Hans Teeuwen may be charged for Erdogan insults: Attorney

Posted on Apr 22, 2016 by Janene Pieters

Rotterdam lawyer Ejder Kose is helping Turkish-Dutch to press charges against comedian Hans Teeuwen for insults he made in an interview with RTL Nieuws.

In the interview Teeuwen said that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is ‘not even worthy of the name boys-whore” and that the Turkish leader still owes him a blowjob.

According to Kose, Teeuwen can be prosecuted for “simple insult” – not based on the law against insulting friendly heads of states, because the head of state needs to be in the Netherlands at the time of the insult for that law to apply. “The court can impose up to four months in prison or a fine”, he said to the Telegraaf.

The Netherlands is currently working on scrapping the ban on insulting friendly foreign heads of state.

Shortly after Teeuwen’s interview, Kose placed a detailed explanation on Facebook on how to press charges against the comedian. Though he later told the Telegraaf that he has no idea whether charges are actually being pressed.

On Thursday the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam caused quite a commotion with an email to Turkish-Dutch. The email called on them to report insults to Erdogan, Turkey or the Turkish people. The consulate later stated that the email was a misunderstanding caused by a mistake made by an employee.

 

[Niall]

No need to deactivate links, Palinurus.

 

[Palinurus]

This whole incident is now covered on SOTT via RT source:

http://www.sott.net/article/316935-Dutch-PM-seeks-answers-from-Ankara-as-local-Turks-urged-to-report-those-insulting-Erdogan

 

[angelburst29]

Dutch journalist of Turkish descent Ebru Umar, detained over critical tweets about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was freed the Turkish authorities, according to the Dutch Foreign Ministry.

Turkish Police Free Dutch Journalist Detained Over Erdogan Tweets
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160424/1038534570/turkey-dutch-journalist.html

The Turkish authorities freed a Dutch columnist of Turkish descent, detained late on Saturday over critical tweets about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Dutch Foreign Ministry announced.

Turkish police arrived to journalist Ebru Umar’s home in Kusadasi, a resort town on Turkey's Aegean coast, and brought her to a police department. The journalist has recently written a very critical review of Erdogan’s activity and policy for the Dutch Metro daily and tweeted some of the article’s excerpts.

"Freedom of expression is of the essence. Relieved that @umarebru is no longer in custody. @DutchMFA continues to assist," the ministry cited Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders as saying.

​Erdogan has been slammed for cracking down on his critics for a long time. Since becoming a president in August 2014, he has filed over 1,800 criminal cases against Turks for insulting him, according to the Turkish Justice Ministry.

 

[angelburst29]

During a rally supporting comedian Jan Boehmermann, Bruno Kramm, the head of the Berlin branch of Germany’s Pirate Party, was arrested for “insulting a representative of a foreign state” by quoting a line from the comic’s satirical poem slamming Erdogan.

Pirate Party’s leader detained in Germany for citing poem about Erdogan (Video)
https://www.rt.com/news/340691-pirate-party-leader-arrest-erdogan/

German police arrested Kramm while he was conducting a “literary analysis” of the German comedian’s satirical poem in front of the Turkish embassy in Berlin during a protest held under the slogan “No Power for Erdowahn, Freedom Instead of Erdogan” [Keine Macht dem Erdowahn, Freiheit statt Erdogan], the Morgenpost newspaper reported.

The politician cited a couple of lines from the now-infamous piece that landed Boehmermann in hot water, namely, “Kicking Kurds, beating Christians,” which refer to the Turkish authorities’ reported crackdown on minorities.

Kramm was approached by several police officers as he was reciting the lines and taken into custody. The police dispersed the gathering shortly thereafter.

One of the activists, Franz-Josef Schmitt, posted a photo of a police van, saying that nobody is allowed to visit Kramm.

According to the newspaper, police have accused Kramm of violating a rarely used section of the German criminal code, namely section 103, that prohibits insulting “organs and representatives of foreign states.”

 

[Palinurus]

Update about the arrested Turkish-Dutch journalist Ebru Umar:

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/04/89328-2/ [Arrest of journalist prompts calls for government to stand up to Erdogan] (with photograph)
http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/04/25/dutch-journalist-arrested-for-erdogan-insults-must-stay-in-turkey/ (also with photo)


http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/04/25/burglary-at-amsterdam-home-of-reporter-arrested-in-turkey/

Burglary at Amsterdam home of reporter arrested in Turkey

Posted on Apr 25, 2016 by Janene Pieters

Ebru Umar’s home in Amsterdam was broken into overnight. The home was ransacked and a laptop was stolen, the Dutch journalist, currently stuck in Turkey after being arrested for insulting president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said to Metro Nieuws.

“I currently find myself in a whirlpool”, Umar said to the newspaper. “So much is happening, but I’m stuck years. I’m not allowed to go to the Netherlands.” Her neighbor called her with the news of the break in. “The front door was forced and everything is turned upside down. My old laptop was stolen. Fortunately, I brought the new one with me to Turkey.”

Umar was arrested at her vacation home in Kusadasi on Saturday night for insulting the Turkish president on Twitter. She was released again on Sunday morning, but is not allowed to leave the country.

The neighbor told Metro that he heard a thumping around 2:45 a.m. on Monday, but went back to sleep because he did not see anything in the house. “This morning I saw a huge crack in the door of Ebru. It’s all scary.”

The Amsterdam police are investigating.

 

[Palinurus]

From SOTT (RT source):

https://www.sott.net/article/317223-The-shoe-fits-Dutch-papers-cartoon-depicts-Erdogan-as-ape-crushing-free-speech

A front-page caricature went public in a popular Dutch daily De Telegraaf, showing Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan as a sinister ape squashing freedom of speech in Europe.

The cartoon illustrates a brawny ape with President Erdogan's face - turned red and puffy - squashing a slim woman resembling Dutch columnist Ebru Umar.

In the caricature, called "The long arm of Erdogan", the Turkish president stands on a rock labeled "Apenrots," Dutch for"ape rocks." The word is also used to refer to a place in The Hague where the Foreign Ministry's premises are located.

The Dutch cartoon is a reflection on the latest developments in Ankara's crackdown on freedom of speech in Turkey and beyond.

Umar's case appears to be the most recent in the growing log of media crackdowns in Turkey. She was arrested on Saturday over tweets Ankara said "insulted" Erdogan, and released on Sunday on condition she stays in Turkey and reports to the police.

In another case, earlier in April, German TV comic Jan Böhmermann read out a poem accusing Erdogan of child abuse and inclination to bestiality after Ankara expressed anger at a satirical clip by rival show Extra 3. Responding to Turkey's demand to indict Böhmermann, Chancellor Angela Merkel allowed him to be prosecuted under a little-used law dating back to the 19th century.

Merkel's decision created a storm in Germany, with some critics accusing the government of making concessions to Ankara and saying the EU is largely dependent on Turkey to stem the flow of refugees.

On Tuesday, German prosecutors said in a statement that they want to interview Böhmermann to decide if there are any grounds to proceed with his case.

In Turkey, the opposition media are under severe pressure from the government. Previously, the Cihan news agency was raided and seized by the police, just days after a similar action against the popular opposition newspaper Zaman.

 

[Palinurus]

Source: _http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/04/28/journalist-renouncing-turkish-nationality-after-erdogan-insult-arrest/

Journalist to drop Turkish citizenship after Erdogan arrest

Posted on Apr 28, 2016 by Janene Pieters

Dutch journalist Ebru Umar wants to renounce her Turkish nationality. She has a Dutch passport, but was automatically also given Turkish nationality at birth, she told Giel Beelen on radio station 3FM on Thursday.

Umar’s lawyer in Turkey already started the procedure to renounce the Turkish part of her nationality. She’s wanted to do this for some time, but her parents did not think it a good idea. But since Umar’s arrest on Saturday, they’ve realized that “perhaps it's wise for their children to have only one nationality”, she said to the radio station.

The journalist’s nationality came up for discussion when a listener pointed out that Umar can be punished under Turkish law when she is in Turkey because of her nationality.

Umar was arrested in her vacation home in Kusadasi, Turkey on Saturday for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Twitter. She was released on Sunday, but is not allowed to return to the Netherlands.

According to Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs, his ministry is working hard on her return.

 

[angelburst29]

The lawyer of two journalists recently arrested in Turkey on charges of "insulting religious values," Bülent Utku, said he will move for a new trial and, if necessary, take an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

Lawyer of Turkish Journalists Sentenced to Prison Ready to Submit an Appeal
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160428/1038793861/lawyer-turkish-journalists.html

The barrister stressed that he will first send an official request for an appeal to the Supreme Court, then — to the Constitutional Court and, if necessary, to the European Court of Human Rights.

"In accordance with Article 11 of the Law on Mass Media, […] my clients can't be held responsible for other articles and images published in the newspaper, besides their own columns. We are going to appeal," Utku told Sputnik.

Another crackdown on the freedom of expression occurred in Turkey on Thursday, when an Istanbul court sentenced two journalists of the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet to two years imprisonment.

Columnists Ceyda Karan and Hikmet Çetinkaya have been charged with "insulting religious values" and "inciting people to hatred and enmity" after publishing a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad from the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

The court found them guilty and sentenced both to two years imprisonment. After the announcement of the court's decision Karan tweeted: „Let this two-year prison sentence will be our gift to liberal fascists".

In January last year, Cumhuriyet already reproduced some cartoons released by Charlie Hebdo as a sign of solidarity after the terrorist attack.

Karan and Çetinkaya, for their part, used small versions of the most controversial caricature of the Prophet Muhammad which has caused global resonance.

During her testimony, Karan explained that she was guided by such notions as professional honor, ethics, solidarity and respect for human values when publishing the cartoon in her article.

In an interview with Sputnik, Karan also stressed that the court's decision has been of a "political nature."

"The freedom of speech and expression covers the publication of any articles or pictures that do not carry with them an offensive sense or incite to violence. In a country where the legal system is based on a secular basis, this can't be seen in another way," the journalist said.

At the same time, the other newspaper's columnist Cetinkaya, speaking during the court, said: "I spent 50 years speaking defending democratic values and freedoms, the right for free expression. I totally deny the charges against me."

"My colleagues and friends know what views I have. I am not afraid to fight for the truth. I was guided by the voice of conscience when posting this cartoon. This caricature has cursed and condemned terrorism in France. Terrorism is a crime against humanity. It has no religious or ethnic affiliation. Any terror, be it right or left, is always a terror, and it can't be justified," the journalist said.

Turkey's crackdown on numerous journalists and restrictions on freedom of speech have been severely criticized by the international community, but so far the situation has not changed for the better.

In November 2015, Turkish authorities arrested two other journalists from the newspaper Cumhuriyet, Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, after they published an article bringing to light Turkey's MIT arms deliveries to Syria.

 

[Palinurus]

Source: http://theturkishsun.com/turkey-historian-returns-medal-of-high-distinction-due-to-dictatorial-rule-18745/

Turkey Historian returns Medal of High Distinction due to “dictatorial” rule

Famous Dutch Turkologist Erik-Jan Zürcher has returned his Medal of High Distinction to Turkey in a protest against the "dictatorial" rule of President Erdoğan.

May 10, 2016, 11:47

World renowned Turkey historian, Dutch Erik-Jan Zürcher, decided to return his Turkish “Medal of High Distinction” presented to him by then Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül because of the “dictatorial” rule in Turkey.

On Tuesday (May 10), the professor from Leiden University published an article on nrc.nl explaining why he wanted to send his medal back. Zürcher said he was awarded the medal in 2005 thanks to his contribution to Turkey’s European Union (EU) bid. He argued that Turkey has a shared history with Europe, and Turkey’s Muslim majority should not be an obstacle to accession as Islam is a part of Europe, and Turkey has been a secular country for almost a century. He also said it was beneficial for Europe as it could defend its interests in Middle East and Caucasia.

In his article, Zürcher said “these arguments are still valid”, but then he admits he was wrong about Recep Tayipp Erdoğan and his intentions. Erdoğan’s party, Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), came to power in 2002 with a majority government and EU reforms were accelerated in the first few years, which gave many Europeans the idea of admitting Turkey to the club.

He said his disappointments with Erdogan’s administration came from the following issues: the ending of the peace process with Kurds, “sabotaging” the possibility of a coalition government after June 7, 2105 election, persecuting the academics for peace petition, suppression and censorship of the media and social media, “threatening” the constitutional court and not respecting it, the taking down of a “softer” Prime Minister (meaning Ahmet Davutoğlu), too many defamation of the president charges, persecuting Europeans who are critical of Erdogan, and using their influence to dominate Islamic norms and values in public spaces.

He continued, “All of these convinced me that the Turkey of Tayyip Erdoğan cannot and should not become a member of the European Union – ever. A country where politics, the legal system, the media, universities and individuals (even if they live in Europe) have become playthings for a de facto dictator and his clique of sycophants; where the fundamental freedoms and the rule of law have ceased to function, cannot be a European country”.

He said this is why he is giving his medal back, as a “sign of protest against the dictatorial misrule of Erdoğan,” admitting he had been wrong 12 years ago when he supported Erdoğan. Zürcher also warned European leaders not to consider Turkey’s EU membership, saying they need to say “enough is enough”.

 

[Palinurus]

The above story is now also up on SOTT:

https://www.sott.net/article/318010-Historian-returns-Turkish-Medal-of-High-Distinction-because-of-Erdogans-dictatorial-rule

 

[Palinurus]

The Turkish Dutch journalist Ebru Umar has had her travel ban lifted by a Turkish court and she returned safely to The Netherlands on Tuesday night.

News coverage here:

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/05/columnist-ebru-umar-let-go-by-turkey-arrives-back-in-the-netherlands/
http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/05/11/dutch-journalist-trapped-in-turkey-returns-to-netherlands/
http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/05/11/dutch-journalist-will-never-return-turkey-erdogan-insult-arrest/


Meanwhile, a new affair has surfaced:

Facebook profile of Dutch MP disappears after ‘long arm of Erdogan’ note

May 10, 2016

The Facebook account of Dutch PvdA MP Keklik Yücel ‘suddenly disappeared’ this morning, after she had written a piece criticising ‘the long arm of [Turkish president] Erdogan’, reports the Volkskrant.

The PvdA labour party has posted a message on its own Facebook page, including Yücel’s whole post, and saying: ‘We find it unacceptable that a voice of the people who writes a candid story about her motives and ideas should have her profile simply taken offline. We have told Facebook this, asking it to reactivate her profile immediately. To quote Keklik: we must never let our freedom of speech come under pressure.’

In the past weeks, Yücel has taken up the cause of Dutch-Turkish columnist Ebru Umar, who has been under house arrest in Turkey for a fortnight for ‘insulting’ tweets about president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Yücel wrote on Facebook that many Dutch people of Turkish origin did not welcome this support.

She spread her message on Twitter this morning, with the hashtag #FreeEbru, and a few hours later her entire profile disappeared. The message by Yücel also said that she believes a declaration against her has been made by the Turkish authorities.

The Volkskrant reports that Yücel is on holiday in Turkey, where she has spoken with Umar, but was unavailable for comment. Yesterday, she told RTV Oost that she would not be intimidated by threats it had found on social media.

According to other media reports, people could have had her page suspended by complaining to Facebook, which is investigating.

Source: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/05/facebook-profile-of-mp-keklik-yucel-disappears-after-a-message-about-the-long-arm-of-erdogan/

 

[Oxajil]

Facebook profile of Dutch MP disappears after ‘long arm of Erdogan’ note

[...]

According to other media reports, people could have had her page suspended by complaining to Facebook, which is investigating.

I can't understand the amount of support Erdogan has abroad! I do know from an online Dutch news website (operated mostly by Turks) that there is much support for him and that whenever something comes out that puts Erdogan or Turkey in a bad light, they try to come up with 'evidence' to prove that those allegations aren't true. I just hope more Turks will find out how corrupt their government is!

 

[bjorb]

[quote author=Oxajil]I just hope more Turks will find out how corrupt their government is![/quote]

It's all justified how most Turks condemn Israel for what it is. But considering how they are giving the Kurdish people more or less the same treatment under Erdogan. I can only find it hypocritical that they cannot point how their government is executing the same crimes against humanity.

My impression is that Turks abroad are rather ultra-nationalistic. I never understood why. Maybe it is because they don't feel welcome in their new countries and by that cling even harder to their old country. Whatever the reason, it makes them blind and capable of supporting psychopaths.

Erdogan is a textbook power hungry psychopath. He is just a dumb loose cannon. The guy even went that far to openly praise Hitler. And now he is arresting family members in Turkey whose family members abroad called him names on Facebook.

Beats me how people can support him. But apparently most Turks abroad do.