German, Turkish press declare war

ISTANBUL - Hurriyet Daily News

Turkish Takvim called Merkel a Nazi as Bild dubbed Erdoğan a dictator.

Media outlets in Turkey and Germany upped the severity of language of new reporting, amid rising tension between the countries that followed Berlin initiative to halt Turkey’s European Union bid.

The two have been in conflict since German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s statements on the ongoing Gezi Protests, and the daily newspapers of both countries have decided to join in.

German Bild carried Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on its cover with the caption “New Dictator,” depicting Erdoğan with a Hitler-like moustache. The cover was then featured on the front page of Turkish daily Takvim, who itself dubbed Merkel a “Nazi.”

Takvim also mentioned a 10-page supplement published by Der Spiegel on the issue of the Gezi protests, which the newspaper said would be distributed in Turkey as well.

Germany insisted last week on halting EU negotiations with Turkey as a response to Ankara’s recent police crackdown on Gezi Park protesters. The EU had been set to open talks on Chapter 22 next week, which would be the first new chapter to be opened in nearly 2.5 years. Berlin’s decision has stirred a huge reaction in Ankara, with EU Minister Egemen Bağış linking Berlin’s move to the upcoming parliamentary election campaign in Germany.

Daily Takvim has also recently been in the news for releasing a fake interview with senior CNN anchorwoman Christiane Amanpour on June 18, which claimed to feature a “confession” from Amanpour in which she “admitted” receiving money for giving the protests air time.

Amanpour was told of the “interview” soon after and posted the following on Twitter as a response: “Shame on you Takvim for publishing a fake interview with me.”

The Takvim reporter behind the story said the interview was “just sarcasm.”