ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced student protesters as “terrorists” and vowed to crack down on demonstrations opposing the appointment of a government loyalist to Istanbul’s most prestigious university. to lead.
Students and faculty from Bogazici University have protested for weeks over Erdogan’s Jan. 1 nomination of Melih Bulu, an academic who once ran for parliament as a candidate for Erdogan’s party. They have called on Bulu to step down as rector of the university and allow the university to elect its own president, saying the appointment was an insult to academic freedoms.
Dozens of students have been detained during the protests, some taken away after raids on their homes.
“I do not accept that these young people, who are members of terrorist groups, share the national and moral values of our country,” Erdogan said in a video address to thousands of members of the ruling party holding regional conventions.
“Are you students … or are you terrorists trying to raid and occupy the headmaster’s office?” he asked.
Erdogan went on to say his government would not allow massive anti-government protests like those that took place in Turkey in 2013. The protests were sparked by the government’s building plans in Gezi Park, next to Taksim Square in Istanbul.
“This country will not be a country dominated by terrorists. We will never allow it, ”said the Turkish leader. “This country will not relive incidents like the Gezi events in Taksim.”
Tensions flared this week after a group of students was arrested over a poster displayed at Bogazici University depicting Islam’s holiest site with LGBT rights flags. The students were arrested last weekend on charges of inciting hatred and insulting religious values.
More than 250 protesters were detained after clashes with police in Istanbul on Monday and Tuesday. Nearly 70 people were also detained in the capital Ankara on Tuesday during a demonstration in support of the Bogazici students.
Erdogan said LGBT values had “no place” in Turkey’s future.
Meanwhile, Bulu told reporters on Wednesday that he has no plans to resign as rector of the university, which is often described as the “Harvard of Turkey.”
He reiterated that his goal was to make Bogazici one of the 100 best universities in the world.