Turkish media demands apology for German spoof of Turks
Suddeutsche Newspaper
Archival AFP photo
Hurriyet newspaper's Europe edition and the German Foreign Council have demanded an official apology for a German television channel’s “discriminatory” skit that presented stereotypes associated with Turkish immigrants living in Germany, according to the Süddeutsche newspaper’s website.Hessian Broadcasting presented a character on its show “Frankfurt Helau” that was clad in a headscarf and made remarks and jokes that were meant to highlight negative stereotypes associated with Turkish immigrants.
Corrado di Benedetto, head of the Foreigners’ Assembly, deemed the show a blatant attack on Turkish people living in Germany. Di Benedetto also denounced the insensitivity shown by the broadcaster amid the recent revelations of the alleged serial murders of nine small business owners of Turkish and Greek origin by three German right-wing extremists.
The broadcaster replied by saying that it did not intend for the skit to be derogatory but that it enjoyed freedom of expression in the usage of comical clichés.
The broadcaster also said its mission included the promotion of intercommunal integration and the peaceful coexistence of different cultural and ethnic groups in Germany.
