Turkish media liken Merkel to Hitler after Germany recognizes Armenian genocide
Several Turkish news outlets on Saturday likened German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Adolf Hitler after the Bundestag earlier last week declared the Armenian massacres of 1915 a genocide.
One glaring example came from the Star Gazetesi newspaper, which posted a picture of the contemporary German leader with her name printed above her upper lip in block lettering, made to look like Hitler’s trademark mustache.
The Bundestag resolution states that the Armenians’ fate exemplified “the history of mass exterminations, ethnic cleansing, deportations and yes, genocide, which marked the 20th century in such a terrible way.”
It also acknowledges that the German Empire, then a military ally of the Ottomans, did nothing to stop the killings.
In response, Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday that by passing the resolution, the German parliament was making a “historic mistake.”
Turkey recalled its ambassador to Berlin on Thursday in protest against the parliament resolution that came at a time when Europe is looking for Ankara’s help in the migrant crisis.
“The Turkish nation will never accept [the genocide claims]. This resolution is null and void for us. We recalled Turkey’s ambassador for consultations. We will discuss how this parliament resolution will shape our relations with Germany, in detail, in the coming days,” Yildirim said.
Asked what Turkey would do to retaliate, Yildirim said, “Whatever is necessary,” adding that relations between the countries were damaged.
Armenia welcomed the resolution.
The nature and scale of the killings remain highly contentious. Turkey accepts that many Armenians died in partisan fighting beginning in 1915, but denies that up to 1.5 million were killed and that this constituted an act of genocide, a term used by many Western historians and foreign parliaments.