In a speech he delivered on March 13 in which he spoke about Netanyahu, Israel, and the Palestinian issue, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: "We have never oppressed any Jew in this country... Do not provoke us." In a different speech he delivered on March 18, 2019 at a ceremony commemorating the Battle of Gallipoli, Erdoğan said that Turkey's enemies are testing its patience and decisiveness by challenging it in the Middle East in various ways, in Europe by perpetrating attacks against mosques and Muslims, and within Turkey's borders by attempting coups, attacking its economy, and "forming dark alliances." He also said that Turkey's enemies are testing it with "the messages that they send," such as the New Zealand massacre. He said: "We understand your feelings and your intentions [and] what it means that one terrorist appeared and killed 50 Muslims... This is not an individual event. This is with an organization." He threatened to fight Turkey's enemies the same way Turkey fought its enemies in the Battle of Gallipoli. He also said: "The expressions of [Netanyahu's son] are the same as those of the terrorist in New Zealand. They are being fed by the same source." In another speech the following day, Erdoğan said: "You will answer for this. If New Zealand does not bring this to account, we know how to bring it to account." Erdoğan's speeches were aired by Anadolu News Agency (Turkey).
To view the clip of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
"They Are Testing Us With The Messages That They Send – [Such As] In New Zealand"
March 13, 2019
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: "Do not provoke us. Look, we have never oppressed any Jew in this country. We have never done to any synagogues the things that have been done [to mosques]. Do not provoke us. We're not going to play this game, that's a different issue. But, we are going to ask the international community to account for this."
[...]
March 18, 2019
"We also with that Allah will not put this nation again to such a test as [the Battle of] Gallipoli.
"However, if such a situation should ever take place, be sure that – just like 104 years ago – we will never hesitate to bury those enemies in the soils and waters of Gallipoli.
[...]
"My brothers and sisters, they continue to test Turkey's patience and decisiveness even though more than a century has passed. By harassing our Syrian border and trying to establish a terror corridor, they are testing these things. At the edge of our Iraqi border, they are getting involved with these methods in the same way. In Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, they are testing these things by trying to violate our rights. In the Aegean Sea, by imprisoning us on our own land, and trying to make it so we cannot go into the sea, they are testing these things. In Europe – especially in Germany and France – by perpetrating hundreds of attacks every year against our mosques, associations, and citizens – they are testing these things. They are testing [us] by getting involved in the streets in our country, by attempting coups, and by forming dark alliances. They are testing [us] by attacking our economy, by eyeing our people's work – their bread, their [food]. In fact, it so happens that they are testing us with the messages that they send – [such as] in New Zealand, 16,500 kilometers away from our country."
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"If You Come As Friends, [We] Will Host You, But If You Come As Enemies, [We] Will Treat You Accordingly... [We] Will Bury You Where You Stand"
"My dear brothers and sisters, 104 years after Gallipoli, we call out one more time: We have received your message, and we understand your feelings and your intentions.
"We understand that your enmity and your hatred are alive. We understand what it means that one terrorist appeared and killed 50 Muslims. We know that you think the land we live in and the air we breathe is too much for us. [The shooter said] that [people] will not be able to cross from the European side to the Asian side [of the Bosporus]. From this threat in his manifesto, we understand what type of terrorist he is. This is not an individual event. This is with an organization. But we are here – we are in Gallipoli!
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"We have been here for a thousand years, and, God willing, we will be here until Judgment Day.
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"Your grandfathers came and saw that we were here, and then some of them went home on their feet – and some went home in coffins. If you come with the same intentions, we will wait for you, as well. Have no doubt that we will send you away just like your grandfathers!
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"If you come as friends, [we] will host you, but if you come as enemies, [we] will treat you accordingly. Just like with the terrorists who tried to challenge our country – like those on our Syrian border in ISIS, in the PKK, and the PYD killers – [we] will bury you where you stand."
[...]
"If New Zealand Does Not Bring This To Account, We Know How To Bring It To Account, In This Way Or That Way"
"Notice that the expressions of the son of the person at the head of Israel are the same as those of the terrorists in New Zealand. They are being fed by the same source, no matter where they are in the world."
[...]
March 19, 2019
"Fifty of our brothers and sisters who were worshipping – you perfidiously, wretchedly, and nefariously killed them. But you will answer for this. If New Zealand does not bring this to account, we know how to bring it to account, in this way or that way."
