Bahçeli urges France to confront its colonial past

ANKARA

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has addressed the ongoing protests in France and criticized those who suggest the possibility of the demonstrations spreading to Türkiye, asserting that such claims were “playing with fire.”

Bahçeli cautioned against using such events as a legitimate means of seeking rights. While urging France to confront its colonial past, the MHP leader emphasized the importance of preventing protests from escalating into chaos or being manipulated by external forces.

Bahçeli emphasized the stark differences between the two countries and stated that Türkiye could not be drawn into chaos by the “dirty hands of others.”

“Those who are waiting for an opportunity to put Türkiye in the grip of provocation and harassment should not be tolerated. Türkiye is not like France, everyone should come to their senses,” he stated.

The MHP leader also strongly condemned the recent burning of the Quran in Sweden, characterizing it as an act of cowardice and debauchery. Bahçeli highlighted that such provocations constituted hate crimes that posed a threat to humanity.

The incident in question occurred on June 28 when Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old who had sought refuge in Sweden, stomped on the Quran and set several pages ablaze in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque.

While the Swedish police had initially granted him a permit for the protest under the protection of free speech rights, they later initiated an investigation into his actions for “agitation.”

Expressing doubt about the incident being an isolated act, Bahçeli suggested the presence of a more coordinated and systematic effort behind what he described as “the despicable act of Islamophobia.”