Election campaign in Germany
Buschmann wants to prevent hate speech by Turkish politicians
04/13/2023, 08:10 am
In mid-May, citizens in Turkey will elect a new president. Federal Minister of Justice Buschmann therefore expects an intensified election campaign in Germany as well. But he doesn’t want to tolerate any “inhuman language,” according to a report.
According to a media report, Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann wants to prevent hate speech by Turkish politicians in Germany. It is to be expected “that supporters of the Turkish President will also campaign more intensively in Germany in the coming weeks,” according to the “Rheinische Post” in a letter from Buschmann to Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser from the SPD and Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock from the greens.
Some Turkish officials and elected representatives “deliberately used inhuman language towards political opponents” at such events. In doing so, “they are clearly exceeding the limits of freedom of expression,” writes Buschmann, according to the newspaper.
In view of the forthcoming elections in Turkey in May, it is therefore important to him to “maintain sensitivity to this issue and to raise awareness of the urgency of action”. The background is the appearance of a politician from the conservative Islamic party AKP, to which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also belongs, in Neuss in January. At the time, the politician had called for the annihilation of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“The requirements of assembly law, including the requirement for approval for appearances by foreign officials and elected representatives, should therefore be consistently observed and enforced,” Buschmann demands, according to the report. “At the same time, we should – if necessary again – communicate this very clearly to Turkey and, at the same time, sensitize the authorities in the countries responsible for the right of assembly accordingly.”
Turkey will elect both a new president and a new parliament on May 14th. Erdogan and his AKP are seeking re-election.