Erdogan and free speech

[hobbits_friend]

I thought this topic deserves an update when I saw the news, but I'll put everything in one post.

Turkish hotline for Erdogan insults angers Dutch
The Turkish consulate in Rotterdam has infuriated Dutch MPs by calling on Turkish groups in the Netherlands to inform it of insults against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Comments

[peddlestools]

I really want to visit Istanbul after seeing this documentary called Kedi (and how cheap the Airbnb rooms are 👀) but erdogan's idiocy is kinda holding me back?

[lewal]

Thank you for this article. As I'm from Germany I followed the discussion here but I did not know about what is happening in the Netherlands.

[lewal]

Wow, this gets scarier the more I find about it.

Erdogans people doe seem to have strategic plans about influencing the foreign press, don't they?. I mean, they monitored foreign laws for loopholes such as this.

Strange. Until now I was very sure that germans who have loudly expressed "conspiracy theories" about this strategic planning are mostly xenophobes and AfD types. (Xenophobia and racism, especially against turks, is massive in Germany.) It's important to remember the situation might be much more complex.

[hobbits_friend]

Don't start believing AfD or Pegida now! ;)
But Erdogan scares me and Putin too and all the other people with power and way too much ego.

[lewal]

Nooooo!

Of course not, that's not what I meant. Sorry.

I just mean, it's no good to underestimate Erdogan "dictator like" tendencies for the wrong reasons. For example, the reason that people I can't stomach are also against him.

I'm afraid I might be guilty of that.

But we all need to make more of an effort to be informed and stand with turkish progressives/journalists/protestors. That's why it's really good you are posting here.

(Not sure if I can express what I mean in english. Sorry again.

[hobbits_friend]

Don't worry, I get it :)
I hate it when I (very rarely and very reluctantly) have to agree with any right wing idiot, so my first reaction is to disagree with or ignore whatever they are saying.