Erdoğan accuses EU members of hypocrisy over Turkey protests
Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has accused European Union member states of hypocrisy and double standards, and rejected criticism by Brussels of his crackdown on anti-government protesters whom he branded "vandals".
Erdoğan said the forceful methods used by Turkish riot police to quell protests against the demolition of an Istanbul park were little different from those used previously in the US and UK. He said that Turkey's democratic record was the best it had been in the country's history, and superior to that of many EU states.
Speaking at an EU-Turkey conference in Istanbul on Friday, a defiant Erdoğan shrugged off criticism of his environmental record and said that he planted lots of trees when he was the city's mayor. He again vowed to press ahead with controversial plans to redevelop Istanbul's Gezi Park and the adjoining Taksim Square, despite opposition from tens of thousands of protesters who have transformed the area into a colourful Glastonbury festival-style camp.
"Those who demand freedom and democracy should also act democratically," Erdoğan said. He renewed his attack on Twitter, which he previously dismissed as a "menace", and said social media had spread lies about what was really happening in Turkey. Erdoğan also suggested that the international media was complicit in writing "paid" articles hostile to his government. He said an advertisement in the New York Times decrying his government style was the work of lobbyists.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/07/erdogan-accuses-eu-hypocrisy-turkey-protests
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Iran and Syria's Governments. I think they are talking about the freedom of expression. They have the right to voice dissent against your Government and to call for you to leave. All is fair in Peace and War. So now Twitter is his enemy.
