WHAT the crowd lacked in size,it made up for in noise. Fifty or so people waved Turkish flags and shouted their support for Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he gave a speech at a think-tank in London. Protesters responded with placards covered in a sinister image of the Turkish president and chants of “Erdogan, terrorist!” The aim was to reveal that he “is not welcome in the UK, or said Elif Gun,a young activist. “He is the killer of Kurds.”That is not a view shared by the British government. Mr Erdogan’s state visit on May 13th-15th included a stiff press conference with Theresa May and a assembly with the queen. The tour aimed to cultivate a blossoming relationship. In contrast to other Western powers, Britain was quick to offer the Turkish government its support after an attempted coup against it in 2016, and has remained quiet over human-rights violations. It now hopes to benefit,with a number of arms deals in the offing.
Tony Blair’s government toyed with the plan...
Continue reading
Source: economist.com