May 10, 2016, 11:47

Famous Dutch Turkologist Erik-Jan Zürcher has returned his Medal of High Distinction to Turkey in a protest against the “dictatorial” rule of President Erdoğan.

World renowned Turkey historian, Dutch Erik-Jan Zürcher, decided to return his Turkish “Medal of High Distinction” presented to him by then Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül because of the “dictatorial” rule in Turkey.

On Tuesday (May 10), the professor from Leiden University published an article on nrc.nl explaining why he wanted to send his medal back. Zürcher said he was awarded the medal in 2005 thanks to his contribution to Turkey’s European Union (EU) bid. He argued that Turkey has a shared history with Europe, and Turkey’s Muslim majority should not be an obstacle to accession as Islam is a part of Europe, and Turkey has been a secular country for almost a century. He also said it was beneficial for Europe as it could defend its interests in Middle East and Caucasia.

In his article, Zürcher said “these arguments are still valid”, but then he admits he was wrong about Recep Tayipp Erdoğan and his intentions. Erdoğan’s party, Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), came to power in 2002 with a majority government and EU reforms were accelerated in the first few years, which gave many Europeans the idea of admitting Turkey to the club.

He said his disappointments with Erdogan’s administration came from the following issues: the ending of the peace process with Kurds, “sabotaging” the possibility of a coalition government after June 7, 2105 election, persecuting the academics for peace petition, suppression and censorship of the media and social media, “threatening” the constitutional court and not respecting it, the taking down of a “softer” Prime Minister (meaning Ahmet Davutoğlu), too many defamation of the president charges, persecuting Europeans who are critical of Erdogan, and using their influence to dominate Islamic norms and values in public spaces.

He continued, “All of these convinced me that the Turkey of Tayyip Erdoğan cannot and should not become a member of the European Union – ever. A country where politics, the legal system, the media, universities and individuals (even if they live in Europe) have become playthings for a de facto dictator and his clique of sycophants; where the fundamental freedoms and the rule of law have ceased to function, cannot be a European country”.

He said this is why he is giving his medal back, as a “sign of protest against the dictatorial misrule of Erdoğan,” admitting he had been wrong 12 years ago when he supported ERdoğan. Zürcher also warned European leaders not to consider Turkey’s EU membership, saying they need to say “enough is enough”.