Turks take to Twitter to attack Trump after announcement of sanctions

Turkish ministers and citizens reacted with defiance on Thursday to US sanctions over the detention of an American pastor on spying and terror-related charges.

The White House announced the sanctions against two Turkish government ministers late on Wednesday for their roles in the prosecution of Andrew Brunson, an evangelical pastor.

Mr Brunson, 50, has been held for almost two years, accused of links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Gulen Movement, which Ankara blames for the failed coup attempt in 2016.

Justice Minister Adbulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu took to Twitter in response. Mr Soylu said the only property he had in the US was Fethullah Gulen, the preacher living in exile in Pennsylvania.

“We will not leave him there. We will take him,” he said in reference to Turkey’s long-standing extradition request.

Earlier, Mr Gul posted that he had “not even a single cent” in US assets. Turkish social media users made a hashtag translated as “We will not give in to the US” the top Twitter trend in Turkey.

Murat Kartal, who runs a tobacco and sweets kiosk in Ankara, summed up the public mood over the sanctions.

“The US thinks it can push us around but Turkey does not give in to threats,” said Mr Kartal, 37.

“We have shown in Syria and elsewhere that Turkey will follow its own path, regardless of what Trump says.”

Office worker Hatice Aydemir, 29, echoed the reaction of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to earlier calls for Mr Brunson to be returned to the US.

“We have a justice system in Turkey and it must be followed,” Ms Aydemir said.

“The US and EU are always lecturing us about the rule of law but it seems they have no respect for the rule of law in this country.

In a rare display of unity, three political parties joined the ruling Justice and Development Party in protesting against the sanctions. They condemned “the US threats with common solidarity and the determination of our nation”.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said sanctions “will not go unanswered”.

The chairman of the Turkey-US Business Council, Mehmet Ali Yalcindag, called for the relationship to be returned to “a level worthy of allies and friends.”

The tone of Turkey’s newspapers was less compromising.

“The Trump mafia administration revealed,” the pro-government daily Yeni Akit declared, while the independent Cumhuriyet announced a “Historic break” on its front page.

We have shown in Syria and elsewhere that Turkey will follow its own path, regardless of what Trump says MURAT KARTAL Ankara resident