Turkish citizens in Germany were targeted in the aftermath of their support for the constitutional reform in Turkey at 63 percent by the Turkish voters living in Germany. Claiming that it is a big mistake not to send Turks back to their country upon the support they gave to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Western press wanted the Imams affiliated to the Religious Affairs to be deported.
The “Yes” result in the historic Turkish referendum on constitutional amendments alarmed European countries. While the European countries, which could not tolerate the support to the system by the people’s will, cling to the provocative interim report for support, the European and American press criticized the Turkish voters who live in Europe for casting their “Yes” ballot. The Western press, which could not tolerate that the Turks living in Germany cast “Yes” at 63 percent in the referendum, targeted the voters in Germany.
A column published in the New York Times brings up the fact that Turks living in Germany cast “Yes” vote at 63 percent in the referendum. The column, written by Jochen Bittner, wants to bring the double citizenship issue to the agenda due to the Turkish voters’ support for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Criticizing the support shown, Jochen Bittner states that Erdoğan won the referendum thanks to the Turks living in Germany. Referring to President Erdoğan’s criticisms of the Nazi-like methods used by Germany, Bittner claims that the Turks living in Germany also promote this situation.
Noting that there are 1.5 million Turks living in Germany who can vote in Turkish elections, Bittner asserts that Turks made Erdoğan a ‘modern-day sultan’. Bittner also points out that President Erdoğan has more supporters in Germany than those in Turkey, as the “Yes” votes in Germany prevail over the ones at home.
Bittner attributes the huge support to Erdoğan from Germany to Germany’s alleged failure to integrate Turks into their culture. Turkish migrants went to Germany to work during the period of 1961 to 1973 and never returned home, and Bittner thinks that this was bad for Germany, claiming that the political left in Germany greeted foreignness as a value in itself, while the Turkish immigrants’ insufficient education and inability to learn German constituted great problems. He adds that the third generation living in Germany also gives huge support to President Erdoğan.
In his column, Bittner targets the Presidency of Religious Affairs’ activities in Germany. Asserting that the actions and influence of the imams sent to Germany by DITIB should have been monitored, Bittner also claims that they should be deported.
Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın responded to Bittner’s column on his Twitter account. “If you vote for the guy we don't like, you are not a good, integrated or acceptable citizen in Germany. What logic!” wrote Kalın.
