Turkish President incites violence against France

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan upbraided French counterpart Emmanuel Macron over his comments last week pledging to fight “Islamist separatism”, saying the remarks were “a clear provocation” and showed the French leader’s “impertinence”.

Macron had said “Islamist separatism” was threatening to take control in some Muslim communities in France and a bill on the issue would be sent to parliament with steps restricting home-schooling and encouraging teaching of Arabic.

Macron made his remarks during a visit to Les Mureaux, an impoverished northern suburb of Paris.

“Speaking about Islam’s structuring as the leader of France is overstepping and impertinence,” said Erdogan, who heads the Islamist-rooted AK Party. “Who are you to utter a phrase like Islam’s structuring?”

Turkey and France are allies in NATO but have been at odds over a host of issues, from their policies in Syria and Libya to a dispute over Ankara’s hydrocarbon exploration and maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean.

However, Erdogan said on Tuesday that Macron had disregarded their agreement with his comments, adding that labelling Muslims in France as separatists would lead to “major conflicts”.