Erdoğan slams Western response to pro-Palestinian rallies

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has condemned Western nations and their universities for their treatment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

“They taught us democracy for years, but we all saw how those who make these judgments behaved on the Gaza issue,” Erdoğan said during an event in the capital Ankara on Oct. 8.

Erdoğan has been a vocal supporter of pro-Palestinian rallies that erupted at U.S. colleges and later spread across Europe.

“The Zionist lobby has taken prestigious universities hostage. Protesters were dragged on the ground and subjected to police violence,” Erdoğan said. “Teachers were interrogated. Students were threatened that they would not be able to find a job in their lives. Western universities failed this test.”

Protests initially began at Columbia University in New York earlier this year, where demonstrators set up a "Gaza solidarity encampment."

Tensions escalated on April 30 when police arrested hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters following rallies at the City College of New York.

Students and faculty held rallies, class walkouts and vigils to commemorate those who died in both Israel and Gaza. Demonstrations have since spread to several European countries, including Denmark, Finland, Spain and the U.K.

Columbia has remained a focal point of protests, with demonstrations coinciding with the anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year.

A pro-Palestinian group, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, began holding a vigil on the steps of Low Library, reciting the names of those killed in Gaza.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, over 41,900 people, the majority of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the war. The U.N. deems these figures reliable.

In his speech, Erdoğan further emphasized the need to protect youth from negative influences, including terrorism, drugs and criminal organizations.

“We cannot stand by and watch our youth disappear in the dark corridors of social media and digital platforms, where all kinds of evils are found,” he said.

"I believe that universities should take more responsibility."

Erdoğan said he expects more support from the Council of Higher Education (YÖK).

"The greater the value given to science, the brighter the future of a country," he said.

"Universities are the centers that produce knowledge. Academies are not only a place for transferring knowledge but also a ground for evaluating the ideas that the country needs."