He compared last week’s coup attempt with the successful putsch of 1980 when 650,000 people were arrested, hundreds executed and 120,000 simply disappeared, adding that something like that could have happened again if the coup had succeeded.
Haluk Yildiz, chairman of the Union of Innovations and Justice, said that Erdogan is a democratically elected leader and could be relieved of his post in a democratic way if he acts against the interests of his people. He added that members of the Turkish community in Germany were completely behind Erdogan.
“As far as I know, nearly 80 percent of German Turks support the [Turkish] government. During the previous election two-thirds of them voted for [Erdogan’s] Justice and Development party,” he said.
Hüseyin Avgan, a leading member of the Federation of Democratic Workers’ Union of Turks and Kurds living and working in Germany, spoke about a series of provocations orchestrated against the opponents of Erdogan.
“On July 17 the coup had already fallen flat, but Erdogan still urged people in Turkey and Germany to take to the streets and hold rallies. Responding to these calls, many of his supporters came out attacking the offices of Hizmet society and the Left party, even though both of them had condemned the putschists,” Hüseyin Avgan said.
He described Erdogan’s calls as an intentional provocation against democratic forces in Germany, which have consistently supported the democratic movement inside Turkey. He also said that Erdogan had long been trying to cobble together groups of his supporters in Germany “to silence the democratic forces in Europe.”
“We can see such a split already happening in companies ethnic Turks now work at. I think that now that the coup has failed, this tactic of driving a wedge between our people living here will become even more pronounced,” Avgan added.
“Erdogan’s policy is dangerous for the Middle East, for Turkey and for Europe in general,” Hüseyin Avgan warned.
Late on Friday, July 15, Turkish authorities said that an attempted coup had begun in the country. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged citizens to take to streets, stating that the coup attempt was carried out by a small group within the military.
The coup attempt was reportedly suppressed by early Saturday, with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stating that all coup supporters had been detained and the country would return to normal life.
In the wake of the coup attempt, Ankara has launched an unprecedented crackdown on those suspected of being involved in the events of last week. Nearly 50,000 individuals have been targeted as part of a purge, including military personnel, educators, judges, and civil servants.
