Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday slammed “xenophobia” in Germany as he urged Turkish workers there to integrate into German society, but without abandoning their own culture.
“We are following xenophobia in some European countries, primarily Germany, with great concern… We urge politicians and especially the media… not to fan it,” he told a crowd of Turkish immigrants in the west German city of Duesseldorf, in a speech aired on Turkish television. “Islamophobia is a crime against humanity as much as anti-Semitism is,” the Islamist-rooted Erdogan said.
“I want everybody to learn German and get the best education… I want Turks to be present at all levels in Germany – in the administration, in politics, in civil society,” Erdogan told the crowd. “Yes to integration… But no to assimilation… No one can tear us from our culture,” he said.