Keyword: Europe
Austria arrests two after arson attack on Turkish cultural center
Two suspects have been arrested in connection with an attempt to set fire to a Turkish cultural centre in the northern Austrian town of Wels, police said on Monday, at a time of heightened tension between Vienna and Ankara. The attack took place in early morning and the suspects, whom police declined to identify, were arrested immediately.
PM Sipilä and FM Soini of Finland: Turkey needs to return to a path that respects human rights
Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Foreign Minister Timo Soini [of Finland] have responded to a letter from the Finnish Union of Journalists. The Union’s missive asked the ministers to urge Turkey to avoid extreme measures in the aftermath of July’s failed coup.
Berlin mayor accuses Turkey of waging war on Gulen supporters in Germany
“I was approached and asked by a Turkish government official, whether we would be prepared to critically confront the Gulen movement in Berlin,” Michael Müller, mayor premier of the state of Berlin, told the German newspaper Bild. “I rejected the idea and made it very clear that Turkish conflicts could not be waged in our city,” he added.
Fethullah Gulen: I consider the coup attempt as a serious “terror coup”
The events of that night [the coup attempt] could be called as a serious terror coup. I categorically reject such accusations. The claim that I convinced the 8th biggest army in the world from 6000 miles away against its own government is an incredible slander. I would like those who are responsible for this coup attempt, regardless of their identities, to receive the punishment they deserve after a fair trial.
Fethullah Gulen: “If the allegations are proved, I agree to return to Turkey”
If some were under the influence of interventionist culture of the army and preferred to trample the values of Hizmet with this reflex – which I do not think – their sins can not be attributed to all supporters of the movement. May God punish them. Nobody, including me, is above the law. I wish that all perpetrators, regardless of their affiliation, are sentenced to what they deserve through fair trial.
Sweden delays sending back Erdogan dissenters
Asylum seekers with ties to the opposition from last month’s failed coup attempt in Turkey will not be sent back to the nation by Sweden until further notice, the Swedish Migration Agency has decided. People who have taken part in “credible political opposition” are also part of the risk group, the Migration Agency writes on its website.
[Alleged] “Coup leader” Gülen’s friendships with the Catholic Church
Erdogan’s propaganda channels and instruments have been referring to Hizmet as the “Gülenist Terror Organisation” for years and over the past months, this full-fledged criminalisation campaign has often seen relations between the Hizmet network and the Catholic Church – including the Vatican – being dragged into it. This has primarily been witnessed in the most staunchly nationalist press channels.
Dutch government calls on Turkish community to report threats by supporters of Turkish President Erdogan
The government is calling on Turkish-Dutch citizens to report if they are threatened by supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs wrote in a letter to parliament on Thursday, NU.nl reports.
Turkey’s Hizmet Purge Is Seeping into the UK Creating Fear in Some Communities
Over the weekend, we have received 5 reports from individuals who are involved in the delivery of social services here in the UK and who are of Turkish heritage. The text messages ask for individuals to inform on members of the Hizmet movement. The impact of these messages is to create fear within members of the Hizmet movement in the UK and who are active in social work within and beyond Muslim communities.
Didier Reynders welcomes a delegation of young artist of the International Festival “Colors of the World” in the Egmont Palace
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign affairs Didier Reynders has met with 20 children participating in the International Festival of Language and Culture “Colors of the World”, which is hosted tomorrow, June 6, in the Forest National concert hall.
Bilal Erdogan: Italy names Turkish president’s son in money laundering investigation allegedly connected to political corruption
Bilal Erdigan, son of the Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, is under investigation in Italy for money laundering, in connection, it has been claimed, with the 2013 corruption scandal that rocked the Turkish political establishment. The Bologna public prosecutor has opened a file on Bilal Erdogan after a key opponent of the Turkish regime officially denounced the president’s son, alleging he brought in large amounts of money to Italy last September to be recycled.
French editor says Gülen’s messages on anti-terrorism revolutionary
A French editor-in-chief has praised the anti-terrorism messages in an article written by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and published by a prestigious French daily last month, describing them as revolutionary and one of the “signs of hope” in 2015, which he said was marked by terror and fear.
Violent Extremism
Violent extremism undertaken in the name of religion threatens the basic premises on which dialogue operates, as well as the conditions within which it can grow. In understanding the causes of this phenomenon, with a view ultimately to tackling them, we must first consider the ways that we communicate about and around the subject.
