Violence in France is Due to Arrogant Racist Culture: Erdogan

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the current riots in France are due to the "colonial past" and the "arrogant culture of racism."

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After a cabinet meeting, he linked the violence between the French police and Maghreb-origin protesters to a "colonial, arrogant, and inhumane mentality based on white male superiority."

Erdogan said, "Especially in countries known for their colonial past, cultural racism has turned into institutional racism. At the root of the events that began in France is the social architecture built by this mentality."

"The majority of systematically oppressed immigrants condemned to live in marginalized neighborhoods and ghettos are Muslims," he added.

The tweet reads, "Macron imposes a total ban on the dissemination through social networks of information about events in France. This is a fire in Lyon."

While emphasizing that Turkey does not approve of property damage and looting, Erdogan asserted that "unfortunately, violence led to violence and triggered the events."

He also expressed concern that these incidents might provoke a new wave of oppression against Muslims. "Turks have paid the highest price of Islamophobia," he said.

Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron continues to insist on portraying the riots as expressions of criminal groups rather than the consequence of widespread public discontent caused by the murder of a 17-year-old by a police officer.