Anti-Turkey sentiments have been on the rise among European Union members, including in Germany, the organisation's economic powerhouse. Islamophobia and xenophobia, which were once attributed to the far right, have become increasingly mainstream and evolved into hatred for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his country. It is no secret that this attitude doesn't reflect economic goals or a genuine concern for democracy. For hostility toward the Turks has been largely incorporated into mainstream politics across Europe. Blind hate wreaks havoc through the old continent.

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Berlin along with fellow Sabah columnists to attend a roundtable meeting with acclaimed German journalists. It was uncanny to see them say the same things about Turkey -- as if they were being controlled by a single person or group. Among other things, they made the case that the July 15 coup attempt was an inside job. To be clear, there are many Europeans who see where things are going but lack the courage to speak up. The rise of racism, or post-modern fascism, forces critics to keep to themselves.

Speaking at a public event last week, President Erdoğan touched upon Germany's ban on Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ's speech in the town of Gaggenau. Noting that the German authorities had imposed a similar ban on one of his own speeches last summer, Mr. Erdoğan said: "This is unheard of. The German constitutional court rushed to a decision within two hours and prevented me from delivering a speech in Germany via teleconference. But they allow PKK commander Cemil Bayık to make a speech from Qandil Mountains. They should be charged with aiding and abetting terrorism. And now they ask why we are making a big fuss about it. Be patient. We are just getting started. We will expose the things you have done at international summits."

It is important to ask the following question today: How did two 'friendly' nations with close economic and political ties get here? Is it possible to account for what happened with reference to Germany's concerns about the state of Turkish democracy? As a country that rolled out a red carpet for Egyptian junta leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and plays dirty games in the Middle East, Germany can't convince anyone that they are motivated by democratic concerns. In truth, all they do is to appease post-modern fascists in the European Union and around the world.