Germany President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was confronted with protesters holding placards comparing him to Adolf Hitler while he made a goodwill-tour to NATO ally Turkey this week.
The German head of state carried 130 lbs (60 kilograms) of kebab meat and a kebab chef on his executive plane as a symbol of friendship with Turkey this week, but found his arrival protested by locals in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation for Germany’s policy of supporting Israel.
Among the stops on Steinmeier’s three-day tour of Turkey was Istanbul’s historic Sirekci railway station, the southern terminus of the world-famous Orient Express luxury long-distance sleeper train. At the station, a group of approximately 50 protesters scuffled with police as they chanted slogans and held placards against Steinmeier’s arrival.
Per a report by German newspaper Die Welt, the Turkish protesters chanted “German murderers” and “genocide supporters”. Posters held showed the faces of Benjamin Netanyahu, Adolf Hitler, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier side-by-side with the message “no difference”.
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – 2024/04/23: Protesters hold flags and a banner as they chant “Germany, the killer, get out of Turkey” during a demonstration in front of the German Embassy in Istanbul . A protest is staged in front of the German Embassy in Istanbul against the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s visit to the Turkish city of Istanbul due to Berlin’s support for Israel in its ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Shady Alassar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
ANKARA, TURKIYE – APRIL 24: Members of Ankara Palestinian Solidarity Campaign hold banners as they gather to protest against German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier due to Germany’s support for Israel in front of the Faculty of Language, History and Geography Ankara, Turkiye on April 24, 2024. (Photo by Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (L) shake hands during a press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on April 24,2024. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Further, larger protests took place — although unwitnessed by Steinmeier — outside the German embassy in Istanbul where activists chanted “Germany, the killer, get out of Turkey” and, again, held up signs featuring Hitler and the swastika symbol.
The purpose of the visit this week is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of German-Turkish diplomatic relations, commenced in 1924. Less mentioned, perhaps, is the earlier relationship between Germany and Turkey’s predecessor the Ottoman Empire, which joined the Triple Alliance as a combatant against the United Kingdom and France a decade before in 1914. Germany experienced a considerable wave of Turkish migrants after the Second World War as “guest” workers who ended up staying, leading to the Turkish kebab dish becoming a national dish of Germany.
Steinmeier’s trip made much of this as he brought kebab meat and a Berlin kebab chef with him on this week’s trip, who cooked and served a meal to dignitaries in Istanbul on Monday night. Steinmeier said the kebab is a symbol of “how much Turkey and Germany have grown together”, the AFP noted, and reported he continued: “I also like to eat one — spicy or with garlic, depending on the other guests I have afterwards”.
ISTANBUL, TURKIYE – APRIL 22: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier cuts doner meat at the residence of the German Ambassador in Tarabya in Istanbul, Turkiye on April 22, 2024. (Photo by Cuneyt Karadag/Anadolu via Getty Images)
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – 2024/04/23: A protester holds a placard as he chants “Germany, the killer, get out of Turkey” during a demonstration in front of the German Embassy in Istanbul. A protest is staged in front of the German Embassy in Istanbul against the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s visit to the Turkish city of Istanbul due to Berlin’s support for Israel in its ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Shady Alassar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
GAZIANTEP, TURKIYE – APRIL 23: People gather to stage a protest against German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier due to his country’s support to Israel in Gaziantep, Turkiye on April 23, 2024. (Photo by Adsz Günebakan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
ISTANBUL, TURKIYE – APRIL 23: People gather to stage a protest against German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier due to his country’s support to Israel in front of Ebassy of Germany in Istanbul, Turkiye on April 23, 2024. (Photo by Bünyamin Celik/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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