The General Directorate of Security (EGM) and Foreign Ministry on Sunday morning issued two separate warnings for the Turkish citizens in the United States, highlighting the dangers “of widely participated events.” EGM, which oversees the police, tweeted the warning, around the same time after a similarly worded tweet was sent out by the Foreign Ministry.
The warnings were an apparent retort to an alert issued by U.S. Embassy earlier. The embassy, in an alert on its website, had urged American citizens to exert caution against a “large demonstration” in Istanbul on Saturday evening, referring to a gathering of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
U.S. Ambassador in Ankara Jeffry L. Flake was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to express the country's grievances over the warning issued by the embassy, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Sunday. Diplomatic sources quoted by Turkish media outlets said the country underlined that the warning "created a misperception of Turkey suffering from a serious problem" and it was "something unacceptable."
The ambassador was also told that disproportionate use of force by law enforcement was a significant issue as rallies in the U.S. proved. The sources said the ministry officials told Flake that political parties' rallies constituted a deep-rooted tradition of Turkish democracy and Saturday's meeting was "without any incident." The Turkish side also expressed its expectations for preparations of such warnings in the future, whether they are travel advisories or warnings on demonstrations, to be made based on facts.
The embassy’s warning had said there was “a strong possibility” that Turkish police would employ similar measures to those it did in the past, "including water cannons, tear gas and non-lethal projectiles."
"Avoid demonstrations and protests as they can be unpredictable and at times become violent,” the warning said, listing a number of actions that U.S. citizens may take for their safety.
The demonstration, a protest over the sentencing of CHP’s Istanbul branch head, was peaceful, contrary to the embassy’s prediction.
EGM’s warning was almost a copy of the embassy’s alert. “Although police in the United States take measures in protests occurring in widely participated events, bear in mind that (police) used live bullets, electroshock weapons and tear gas. Such organizations are difficult to control and may escalate into violence,” the warning said. It called on Turkish citizens to avoid crowds, not to “attract attention” and stay away from venues of protests. The foreign ministry’s statement reiterated the same warning, urging Turks in the United States to keep a low profile and monitor media for updates. It was unclear which protests Turkish authorities were referring to but the United States has had its fair share of protests turning violent, especially over racial injustice.
Though they are close allies, Turkey and the United States are often at odds on a number of issues and embassy warnings to U.S. citizens traveling to Turkey are among the areas of dispute.
Washington angers Ankara over what politicians call exaggeration of the situation in Turkey. In 2018, Turkey issued a travel warning to the United States, citing a number of far-right and racist incidents, including shootings, shortly after U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory for visitors to Turkey, urging them to “reconsider travel” over safety concerns.
