Erdoğan slams US response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched a critique of the United States' handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations, accusing the nation of hypocrisy in its stance on the Gaza war.

"We follow as an example the hypocritical policies of those who teach us freedom lessons in the Gaza massacre," Erdoğan remarked during an international workshop in the capital Ankara on May 2.

In particular, Erdoğan commended the pro-Palestinian demonstrations at U.S. colleges, characterizing the participants as "conscientious students and academics."

His remarks come amid ongoing campus protests that initially erupted last month at Columbia University in New York. The demonstrations saw a large group of participants establishing a "Gaza solidarity encampment" on the university's grounds.

"They are exposed to violence and torture. Rectors and academics are fired and lynched," Erdoğan said, criticizing the lack of international condemnation for such incidents. "Because Israel's interests draw the boundaries of western democracy."

The tensions surrounding these protests escalated on April 30 when law enforcement officers arrested hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators in response to rallies at Columbia University and the City College of New York.

The protests have become a focal point for a broader movement across U.S. colleges aimed at denouncing Israel's actions in Gaza.

Erdoğan's criticisms extended beyond the U.S., as he condemned what he characterized as Israel's brutal actions, including targeting civilian infrastructure and committing mass killings.

He further asserted that the perceived increase in attacks against Türkiye and Turkish communities in Europe was an attempt to silence Ankara's outspoken criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza.

"We maintain this attitude despite all the pressures of the Zionist lobby. We continue to call the oppressor the oppressor and the oppressed the oppressed," Erdoğan stated.