Supreme values up in smoke in EU
European Parliament's ban on Daily Sabah shows supreme values like freedom of speech and liberties are on the way out in Europe
A series of events in the past month, crowned with the decision by European Parliament officials to ban Daily Sabah and prevent it from distributing to MEP's offices, shows supreme values like freedom of expression, individual freedoms and liberties are on the way out in Europe.For the past two years, Daily Sabah has been an ardent supporter of the supreme values that the European Union used to cherish. The paper is pro-government but it has never sided with the "wrong" and has kept pushing for the good to prevail over the evil.
To ban a newspaper like Daily Sabah in the European Parliament is not only wrong but also sets a precedent that can be used against all such publications throughout Europe.
Those who keep on talking about press freedom in Turkey, those who promote free circulation of information should now raise their voice against this ban forcefully because those who target us today will target you tomorrow and remaining silent will only embolden those who seem to be systematically ruining the supreme values that made Europe a civilized place.
The incidents of the past month that have targeted Turkey and the Turks are disappointing and shameful as they prove that fascism has been resurrected in Europe and is spreading fast, pushing this family of civilized nations back into the darkness of the pre-World War II period.
Just think of the Austrians, the Dutch and the Germans preventing ministers from France and Britain entering their country to address their compatriots. Just imagine a British minister being forced out of his car in the streets of Rotterdam, taken into custody and then expelled from the Netherlands. Would that be acceptable? Would the French applaud the Austrians for preventing a French politician addressing French citizens at a hall in Vienna?
In the dark days of the IRA terrorism campaign would the British hold the Germans in high esteem if they allowed thousands of IRA supporters and known terrorists march in the streets of Frankfurt chanting anti-British slogans and waving banners, especially if the German government had put the IRA on their terrorist list?
Would anyone in Europe allow a pro-Daesh march in the streets of their cities? Would Daesh be allowed to promote its activities erecting tents in streets and holding conferences in the European Parliament to condemn the events in Syria?These examples may sound farfetched, yet that's exactly what is happening to Turkey in Europe. These are the terrible examples of why the Turkish people are starting to question their administration on why we continue to adhere to the agreement with the European Union to keep Syrian migrants from flocking to the continent.
Daily Sabah is now being made a victim of the enmity toward Turks in Europe and Turkey by a right-wing Dutch politician. Why? Because Daily Sabah simply reported how Dutch policemen charged at a peaceful crowd of Turks with their dogs and mounted police. Why? Because Daily Sabah revealed the setup of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in the Netherlands, the gang that tried to stage a bloody coup in Turkey on July 15, killing 249 people and wounding more than 2,000.
It is really sad that officials in the European Parliament who are supposed to promote freedom of expression, liberties and the freedom of spreading information are actually doing the opposite by banning Daily Sabah. Let us hope common sense prevails soon and this great mistake is corrected.
To ban a newspaper like Daily Sabah in the European Parliament is not only wrong but also sets a precedent that can be used against all such publications throughout Europe.
Those who keep on talking about press freedom in Turkey, those who promote free circulation of information should now raise their voice against this ban forcefully because those who target us today will target you tomorrow and remaining silent will only embolden those who seem to be systematically ruining the supreme values that made Europe a civilized place.
The incidents of the past month that have targeted Turkey and the Turks are disappointing and shameful as they prove that fascism has been resurrected in Europe and is spreading fast, pushing this family of civilized nations back into the darkness of the pre-World War II period.
Just think of the Austrians, the Dutch and the Germans preventing ministers from France and Britain entering their country to address their compatriots. Just imagine a British minister being forced out of his car in the streets of Rotterdam, taken into custody and then expelled from the Netherlands. Would that be acceptable? Would the French applaud the Austrians for preventing a French politician addressing French citizens at a hall in Vienna?
In the dark days of the IRA terrorism campaign would the British hold the Germans in high esteem if they allowed thousands of IRA supporters and known terrorists march in the streets of Frankfurt chanting anti-British slogans and waving banners, especially if the German government had put the IRA on their terrorist list?
Would anyone in Europe allow a pro-Daesh march in the streets of their cities? Would Daesh be allowed to promote its activities erecting tents in streets and holding conferences in the European Parliament to condemn the events in Syria?These examples may sound farfetched, yet that's exactly what is happening to Turkey in Europe. These are the terrible examples of why the Turkish people are starting to question their administration on why we continue to adhere to the agreement with the European Union to keep Syrian migrants from flocking to the continent.
Daily Sabah is now being made a victim of the enmity toward Turks in Europe and Turkey by a right-wing Dutch politician. Why? Because Daily Sabah simply reported how Dutch policemen charged at a peaceful crowd of Turks with their dogs and mounted police. Why? Because Daily Sabah revealed the setup of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in the Netherlands, the gang that tried to stage a bloody coup in Turkey on July 15, killing 249 people and wounding more than 2,000.
It is really sad that officials in the European Parliament who are supposed to promote freedom of expression, liberties and the freedom of spreading information are actually doing the opposite by banning Daily Sabah. Let us hope common sense prevails soon and this great mistake is corrected.