Journalists, Armenians, gays are ‘representatives of sedition,’ Erdoğan says

BİNGÖL

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has continued his salvoes against a number of his critics including journalists, Armenians and members of the LGBTI community ahead of the June 7 general elections, accusing them of supporting the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

“Their biggest ally is Doğan Media. The Armenian lobby, homosexuals and those who believe in ‘Alevism without Ali’ – all these representatives of sedition are [the HDP’s] benefactors,” Erdoğan said during an address to citizens in the eastern province of Bingöl on June 3.

Speculation over whether the HDP, which focuses on the Kurdish issue, will be able to pass the 10 percent national election threshold is the key question that will determine how many seats the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) wins in parliament.

On June 3, the Turkish president also repeated his ever-toughening rhetoric against international media. “They also received the support of some foreign media outlets, which see Turkey as their colony,” he said.

Without mentioning the name of the AKP, which he co-founded, Erdoğan said that “everyone should go and vote for the party he or she likes.”

In recent days for different reasons, Erdoğan has slammed several media institutions including daily Hürriyet, which is owned by the Doğan Media Group, daily Cumhuriyet, the New York Times, CNN International and the BBC.