Ankara, Jan 12 () - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed international academicians over a petition entitled “We will not become a part of this crime” against security tension in Turkey’s southeast.
Some 1,128 significant researchers and professors from Turkey and the world, including renowned intellectuals Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler, Etienne Balibar and David Harvey had reportedly signed a statement calling on Turkey to “end state violence and prepare negotiation conditions”.
Erdogan responded by defining these signers a herd of “so-called academicians and researchers”.
“This herd attacks our state that defends its citizens and terrains against terror organization’s acts” he said, disclaiming statements that rights and freedoms were violated by the state. “Yes, rights and freedom of millions of our citizens residing in the region have been violated. However, it is the terror organization itself that violates, not the state”.
“They even invited foreigners to our country to follow the developments. This is called a colonial mentality. Turkey has faced the treason of this mentality 100 years ago. At the time, a mass calling themselves intellectuals was in belief that Turkey could only be recovered by the help of foreigners” he said.
“We ask the state to put an end to violence inflicted against citizens right now, we as academics and researchers of this country declare that we won’t be a party to this crime and that promise that we will sustain our stance in the presence of political parties, parliament and international public” academicians' statement has said.
“We demand the state to abandon its deliberate massacre and deportation of Kurdish and other peoples in the region. We also demand the state to lift the curfew, punish those who are responsible for human rights violations and compensate those citizens who have experienced material and psychological damage. For this purpose we demand that independent national and international observers to be given access to the region and that they be allowed to monitor and report on the incidents” it has added.
"Betrayal of so-called intellectuals who receive salaries from the state"
“We face the betrayal of so-called intellectuals who receive their salaries from the state and carry the ID, passport of this state, while holding a higher welfare level comparing to the average of the country” Erdoğan slammed.
Meanwhile, the Turkish President reiterated the country had no "Kurdish problem” but a “problem of terror” as well as problems with Kurdish citizens of Turkey.
“These ‘draft intellectuals’ unfortunately even speak of a massacre by the hand of the state” said the President, fiercely, using the Turkish word "müsvedde (draft)" meaning ineligible.
“You are dark enough, to not know southeast, east and the addresses in the region. But these regions lead to our homes, we know the destination well” he told.
Erdogan also offered himself foreigner academicians to come to Turkey, “excluding so-called intellectuals who have signed the statement”.
“To sign the statement in vain is not enough. Come to Turkey. We are ready to explain what has been happening from A to Z in Turkey’s east and southeast. Let them find out with their own eyes whether the state breaks the law, or the terror organization extorts our citizens’ rights and freedom” Turkish President noted.
