Erdogan to EU: Mind your own business

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit back at the European Union’s condemnation of the country’s media arrests on Monday, telling them to "mind their own business".

So far, 27 people - including two former police chiefs - have been detained in a nationwide raid aimed largely at media critical of Erdogan. Most of the Sunday arrests targeted people working with newspaper and television channels, affiliated with the exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who was once a close ally of the president but is now seen as a leading rival.

“The European Union cannot interfere in steps taken…within the rule of law against elements that threaten our national security even if they are members of press," Erdogan said in an inauguration ceremony for an oil refiner.

"When taking such a step we don’t care what the EU might say, or if the EU is going to accept us. We don’t care… They should mind their own business."

Ekrem Dumanli, the editor-in-chief of the Gulen-linked Zaman daily newspaper, and Hidayet Karaca, the head of the pro-Gulen Samanyolu TV (STV), were some of the most high-profile names to be arrested.

The director, producer, and scriptwriters of the popular TV drama series, Tek Turkiye (One Turkey) on STV were also detained.

EU Foreign Policy Chief, Federica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner, Johannes Hahn were quick to denounce the raids as “incompatible with the freedom of media.”

“This operation goes against the European values and standards Turkey aspires to be part of and which are the core of reinforced relations,” they said in a statement late on Sunday.

US State Department Spokeswoman, Jen Psaki also stressed that media freedoms are a key component of healthy democracies.

“As Turkey’s friend and ally, we urge the Turkish authorities to ensure their actions do not violate these core values and Turkey’s democratic foundations,” she said.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the main opposition leader went even further, telling reporters that the arrests mounted to a coup. “A coup is being carried out against democracy,” he said.

The markets reacted badly to the news, sending Turkey’s currency, the lira, to a 10-month against the dollar. Erdogan, however, dismissed concerns by saying that the Turkish economy continued to grow despite smear campaigns.

According to the state news agency Anatolia, Chief Public Prosecutor, Hadi Salihoglu had ordered the arrests based on charges of forgery, fabricating evidence, and “forming a crime syndicate to overtake the sovereignty of the state.”

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also lashed out on Monday, accusing the Gulen movement of trying to seize control of “the bureaucracy”.

“Today is a day of test,” he stated. “Everyone will pay for what they have done and their anti-democratic behaviour,” he said.

The swoop has been widely linked to the fallout between the 62-year-old president and the 73-year-old cleric, which broke out last year after Gulen objected to the government’s plan to shut down his schools. Gulen is the spiritual leader of the Hizmet movement, which has a strong bearing on media outlets, cultural centres, and academia.

When his AK party was elected to power in 2002, Erdogan moved to introduce many reforms, aimed at curtailing the strength of the Turkish army. With Gulen's help strong influence over the police and judiciary, Erdogan was eventually able to carry out a string of arrests and weaken the army elite.

"In their heyday, the Gulenists had a strong following in key areas of government, including the Ministry of Justice and the press," Middle East Eye columnist, David Barchard wrote yesterday.

"From 2008 onwards, the movement helped underpin the Erdogan government by launching a series of controversial arrests and prosecutions of army officers and Kemalist conservatives for alleged, but improbable, coup attempts.

"The joint drive broke the political power of the Turkish Armed Forces and the Kemalists (followers of Turkey’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk) probably forever."

However, their relationship now has now taken a dramatic turn, with Erdogan accusing the US-based cleric of running a parallel state by controlling influential elements in various state bodies.

Thousands of people gathered outside the headquarters of Zaman in anticipation of Dumanli's arrest on Sunday, carrying signs supporting the editor and the newspaper. As he was escorted by plainclothes police, Dumanli told the crowd: “Let those who have committed a crime be scared. We are not scared."