
At a recent commentary published by AVİM,[1] we had criticized the EU Observer, a news outlet covering European Union affairs whose publications align with the interests of the EU, for having published unsubstantiated claims that may be classified as fake news.
EU Observer seems to be intent on carrying out its irresponsible publication policy, since it has today (26 October 2020) published an article titled “Erdoğan Whips Up Muslim Hate Against Macron”.[2] Although the article does give space to Turkey’s criticism on French President Emmanuel Macron’s aggressive and discriminatory statements and policies against Muslims, the title of the article misleads the readers about the content of the Turkish criticism towards Macron’s stance. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent statements have spearheaded a reaction from Muslim-majority countries against President Macron, but there is nothing in his words that can be interpreted as “whipping up hate”. Indeed, the EU Observer article makes no effort to justify its choice to use the provocative word “hate” in its title.
The developments across the European Union have demonstrated that the far right is on the rise and that an important section of the electorate in EU countries is responding positively to discriminatory rhetoric and sometimes outright hate speech against Muslims. Far right groups and politicians who seek their electoral support have implicitly, and sometimes explicitly, alluded to a supposed struggle between “the Christian West” versus “the Muslim East”, while Muslims living in Europe are being viewed as an element of this supposedly hostile Muslim front. To make the problematic approach of EU Observer more perceivable, President Macron’s approach against Muslims in France may be reported with the title “Macron Whips Up Christian Hate Against Muslims”. Would EU Observer be comfortable with publishing a news report with such a title?
*Photograph: French President Emmanuel Macron
[1] Hazel Çağan Elbir, “EU Observer And Fake News”, Center for Eurasian Studies (AVİM), Commentary No: 2020/34, October 13, 2020, https://www.avim.org.tr/en/Yorum/EU-OBSERVER-AND-FAKE-NEWS
[2] Andrew Rettman, “Erdoğan whips up Muslim hate against Macron”, EU Observer, October 26, 2020, https://euobserver.com/foreign/149859
© 2009-2025 Center for Eurasian Studies (AVİM) All Rights Reserved
No comments yet.
-
THE ELECTION OF THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCH OF ISTANBUL
AVİM 22.12.2017 -
RENEWED EFFORTS TO MANIPULATE PUBLIC AND SCHOLARLY DISCOURSES ON THE ARMENIAN QUESTION BY FINANCIAL MEANS
AVİM 08.03.2021 -
NUMBER 21 OF THE REVIEW OF ARMENIAN STUDIES HAS BEEN PUBLISHED
AVİM 27.07.2010 -
2800 YEARS OF ARMENIAN-YEREVAN?
AVİM 02.03.2018 -
BIASED DISPARAGEMENT OF THE LATE NORMAN STONE BY TWO BRITISH DAILIES
AVİM 16.07.2019
-
ARMENIAN-KURDISH COALITION IN SYRIA: TURCOPHOBIA FUELS THE HOSTILE FEELINGS OF SOME ILL-MINDED ARMENIAN NATIONALISTS
AVİM 04.01.2019 -
JOINT STATEMENT OF THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE MINSK GROUP ON PEACE IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH
Mehmet Oğuzhan TULUN 13.05.2014 -
A HYPOCRITICAL CALL FOR INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE
Mehmet Oğuzhan TULUN 17.09.2015 -
THERE ARE JUDGES IN STRASBOURG
Alev KILIÇ 15.10.2015 -
THE WAY OUT TO TURKISH-ARMENIAN RECONCILIATION COULD BE MUTUAL FORGIVENESS
Alev KILIÇ 12.11.2012
-
THE ARMENIAN QUESTION - BASIC KNOWLEDGE AND DOCUMENTATION -
THE TRUTH WILL OUT -
RADİKAL ERMENİ UNSURLARCA GERÇEKLEŞTİRİLEN MEZALİMLER VE VANDALİZM -
PATRIOTISM PERVERTED -
MEN ARE LIKE THAT -
BAKÜ-TİFLİS-CEYHAN BORU HATTININ YAŞANAN TARİHİ -
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS ON THE EVENTS OF 1915 -
FAKE PHOTOS AND THE ARMENIAN PROPAGANDA -
ERMENİ PROPAGANDASI VE SAHTE RESİMLER -
A Letter From Japan - Strategically Mum: The Silence of the Armenians -
Japonya'dan Bir Mektup - Stratejik Suskunluk: Ermenilerin Sessizliği -
Anastas Mikoyan: Confessions of an Armenian Bolshevik -
Sovyet Sonrası Ukrayna’da Devlet, Toplum ve Siyaset - Değişen Dinamikler, Dönüşen Kimlikler -
Ermeni Sorunuyla İlgili İngiliz Belgeleri (1912-1923) - British Documents on Armenian Question (1912-1923) -
Turkish-Russian Academics: A Historical Study on the Caucasus -
Gürcistan'daki Müslüman Topluluklar: Azınlık Hakları, Kimlik, Siyaset -
Armenian Diaspora: Diaspora, State and the Imagination of the Republic of Armenia -
ERMENİ SORUNU - TEMEL BİLGİ VE BELGELER (2. BASKI)
-
CONFERENCE TITLED “HUNGARY’S PERSPECTIVES ON THE TURKIC WORLD"