Photo: Dr. Ebubekir Sofuoğlu. Greek City Times
In a televised interview that has outraged many, a Turkish Professor has said that Turkey could invade Greece the same way Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939. The comments by Dr. Ebubekir Sofuoğlu, of Sakarya University in Turkey, were made on Turkish state-controlled media, meaning that the Turkish government chose not to censor them. The Turkish government has dictatorial control over at least 90% of the nation's media.
Discussing the tensions between Greece and Turkey, the Professor claimed Greece does not have mandatory military service (they do), and said:
"Just as Hitler suddenly entered Poland, so we can easily enter Greece."
Turkey was an ally of Germany in the First World War and of the Nazis during the Second World War. Turkey and Greece have a long history of tension, however, in recent years, these tensions have been ramped up as arguments over the ownership of islands in the Aegean have intensified and as Turkey has sought to become involved in hydrocarbon exploration in the region.
Turkish Media Ombudsman Faruk Bildirici made a lengthy statement on his website covering the Professor's comments:
"There was not the slightest objection from Sabri Balaman, who directed the program, to this person who said that Greece was full of metrosexuals, who discriminated and was sexist against women, humiliated Greek men, accused them of cowardice, and produced hate speech against the Greek nation. On the contrary, he smiled and the other participants did not object to these words.
Journalists who love their country and their people should not use such 'hate speech' in relation to another nation. Because this language full of insults is not enough to solve the problems between the two countries, on the contrary, it makes it more difficult. At most, it feeds prejudices and increases hostility between two neighbouring nations. Tension, conflict, and above all war, damage both nations. Wars today have no winners.
No matter how the tension has escalated, it should be up to the journalists to make efforts to maintain friendship between the two countries and to resolve the problem through diplomatic means."
It goes to show that many in Turkey oppose the current regime of Recep Erdogan and detest his grab for power that has only intensified since the failed coup of 2016. Erdogan has increasingly sought to jail and imprison opposition politicians and ban opposition media outlets. Only recently, several activists from the music group Grup Yorum died on hunger-strike while imprisoned in Turkey.
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