Erdogan lambasts Dutch 'fascist' politician

By Merve Yildizalp Ozmen

MALATYA, Turkey (AA) - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday hit back at Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders over an insulting cartoon he shared.

"Fascism is not in our book, it's in your book. Social justice is in our book," Erdogan said at a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in the eastern Malatya province, calling Wilders a "fascist."

"The forces that make the world uninhabitable have put us on the target board because we disrupt their games and reveal their true faces," Erdogan said, adding: "We will carry on."

His remarks came after Wilders, known for his anti-Islamic stance, shared on Twitter an insulting cartoon of the Turkish president that was denounced by several Turkish officials including Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

"When truth spoken to their faces Europe's loser racists showed up again. Trying to exploit Islamophobia and xenophobia. Time has come to stop Europe's spoiled politicians with fascist mindset," Cavusoglu said on Twitter.

"Immoral, antihuman and fascist...," said AK Party spokesman Omer Celik on Twitter in response to the post, along with the hashtag #TerroristGeertWilders.

Fahrettin Altun, Turkey's communications director, also took to Twitter in criticism of Islamophobia.

"Europe is an increasingly dangerous place for Muslims. The dog whistle politics of offensive caricatures, accusations of separatism against Muslims, and mosque raids isn't about freedom of expression," Altun warned.